Research Paper: Part 1 – Cases Summary Instructions
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Strayer University
CRJ 310 - Law Enforcement Operations and Management
Research Paper: Part 1 – Cases Summary Instructions
Since 1963, a series of United States Supreme Court case decisions have clarified that
in+criminal+cases, prosecutors must disclose to the defense evidence favorable to the defendant.
This includes information that may be used to impeach the credibility of government witnesses,
including+law+enforcement officers. These decisions mean that police officers who have
documented histories of lying in official matters are liabilities to their agencies, and these
histories may render them unable to testify credibly.+
Summarize the main issues that are involved in the following United States Supreme Court
cases. You must have pages, not including your title page.+
Introduction to United States v. Leon:
United States v. Leon is a U.S. Supreme Court case from 1984 that deals with the good-faith
exception to the exclusionary rule when evidence is obtained through a search warrant later
found to be invalid. Answer the following questions:
1. What constitutional issue did United States v. Leon address, and how did the case
contribute to the legal standards surrounding the Fourth Amendment's
exclusionary rule and the good-faith exception?
United States v. Leon (1984) addressed the constitutional issue of the exclusionary rule and the
good-faith exception under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The
exclusionary rule generally holds that evidence obtained in violation of a defendant's
constitutional rights, particularly those protected by the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable
searches and seizures, should be excluded from use in a criminal trial.
In the Leon case, the question was whether evidence seized with a defective search warrant could
still be used in court if law enforcement officers acted in good faith when obtaining the warrant.
The Court, in a 6-3 decision, established the "good-faith exception" to the exclusionary rule.
The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Warren Burger, held that evidence seized on the
basis of a search warrant later found to be invalid could still be admissible if the officers acting
in good faith reasonably believed the warrant was valid. The Court reasoned that excluding
evidence in such cases would not deter police misconduct since the officers were relying on a
