Olmstead v. United States
United States Supreme Court
277 U.S. 438 (1928)
Relevant factsFree
During Prohibition, the government tapped the phone lines at Olmstead's (defendant's) home and office without a warrant to gather evidence of his illegal alcohol-importing operation, using the resulting recorded conversations to convict him; Olmstead appealed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
IssueFree
Whether the Fourth Amendment extends to telephone wires and the telephone calls that travel over them.