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C-SPAN Radio's Historic Supreme Court Oral Argument: United States v. Alberto Leon, et al (1984)

Search and Seizure and Admissibility of Evidence

Washington, DC
Saturday, March 19, 2011

This Supreme Court case questions whether there is a “good faith” exception to the exclusionary rule on inadmissible evidence.

In 1981, Alberto Leon was the target of police surveillance based on an anonymous informant's tip. Based on their surveillance, the police were then able obtain a search warrant of his home wherein they recovered large quantities of illegal drugs.

However, during the trial, a separate judge concluded that the affidavit for the search warrant was insufficient because it did not establish the probable cause necessary to issue the warrant. Thus, the evidence obtained under the warrant could not be introduced.
 

Updated: Friday, March 18, 2011 at 8:30pm (ET)

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