Silverman v. United States

(Redirected from 365 U.S. 505)

Silverman v. United States, 365 U.S. 505 (1961), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court unanimously held that a federal officer may not, without warrant, physically place themselves into the space of a person's office or home to secretly observe or listen and relate at the man's subsequent criminal trial what was seen or heard.

Silverman v. United States
Argued December 5, 1960
Decided March 6, 1961
Full case nameSilverman v. United States
Citations365 U.S. 505 (more)
81 S. Ct. 679; 5 L. Ed. 2d 734; 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1605; 97 A.L.R.2d 1277
Case history
PriorCertiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Holding
A federal officer may not, without warrant, physically entrench into a person's office or home to secretly observe or listen and relate at the man's subsequent criminal trial what was seen or heard.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · Felix Frankfurter
William O. Douglas · Tom C. Clark
John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.
Charles E. Whittaker · Potter Stewart
Case opinions
MajorityStewart, joined unanimously
ConcurrenceDouglas
ConcurrenceClark, joined by Whittaker
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. IV
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