Boyd v. United States
United States Supreme Court
116 U.S. 616 (1886)
An 1874 federal statute let the government demand that a person produce specific books or papers in a customs proceeding; if the person refused, the prosecution's allegations about what those documents contained would be "taken as confessed." Customs officials seized 35 cases of imported glass belonging to Boyd and Sons (Boyd) (defendant), suspecting an attempt to avoid paying customs duties, and used the statute to demand Boyd's invoices. Boyd produced the invoices but objected to their use at trial as a Fourth Amendment violation; the jury ordered the glass forfeited, and Boyd appealed.
Whether compelling a person to produce his private books or papers to help establish a criminal charge against him constitutes an unreasonable search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment.