Articles about Fourth Amendment – tribunedigital-baltimoresun

NEWS

By Leonard Pitts Jr and By Leonard Pitts Jr | January 9, 2014

Here is what he said: "...all constitutional rights are regulated, always have been, and need to be. " It would seem to be a self-evident truth. After all, your First Amendment right to freedom of speech is regulated. If you don't believe it, write something libelous about a guy with deep pockets and man-eating lawyers. Your Fourth Amendment right to freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures is regulated and then some. If you don't believe that, pick up your phone and ask the NSA agent tapping your line.

NEWS

By Alexander E. Hooke | August 28, 2013

"Can we say then that the general economy of power in our societies is becoming a domain of security?" Michel Foucault, 1978 In 1791, the Fourth Amendment - sanctifying what we now call the human right to privacy - became part of the Bill of Rights. Barely had the ink of the signatures dried when it was already threatened by government. Congress immediately planned to take a census of the newly established country's population, only to be met by numerous citizens resisting officials poking their heads onto their property and asking about their children, size of home, how many males and females were over the age of 16. More than two centuries later, the right to privacy continues to be threatened and violated.

NEWS

June 13, 2013

Reader David Liddle writes that "since I have nothing to hide and would like to protect myself and my family from terrorists, I have no problem with the government looking at my emails and listening to my phone calls" ("'Don't worry: The NSA isn't interested in you," June 12). I would ask if he sees any value in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing privacy from government intrusion? Would he prefer to live under a totalitarian government that spies on all its citizens in order to silence dissent?

NEWS

June 10, 2013

I was somewhat disturbed by reports the National Security Agency has been monitoring all phone calls on the Verizon system for years ("Surveillance state," June 7). But like most Americans I accepted it as my government protecting the country against terrorists. Today, however, I made a point of reading the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution rather than just believing I knew what it meant - and realized how wrong I was. I recommend that citizens of this country obtain and review a copy of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, before formulating an opinion on major issues such as this.

NEWS

June 7, 2013

The Sun's reasoning regarding the recent ruling on DNA collection is severely flawed ("Court is right on DNA," June 4). DNA is not 21 s t -century fingerprinting, and it does more than identify a person. It's likely there is yet undetermined information stored in the "non-coding" section of DNA. It is irrelevant whether the information gathered is used or not. The very fact that the state has taken the information from an individual violates the Fourth Amendment. It can be likened to taking someone's computer.

NEWS

By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun | June 3, 2013

A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that police in Maryland and elsewhere can continue the warrantless collection of DNA from people arrested - but not convicted - of serious crimes. The 5-4 decision upheld a state law that allows investigators to take genetic information from arrestees, a practice followed by the federal government and about half the states. Police generally compare suspects' DNA to records from other cases in hopes of developing leads. The case, which amplified a long-running debate over the limits of government search-and-seizure powers, began with a challenge from a Wicomico County man linked to a rape after his DNA was taken in an unrelated arrest.

Read the original post:
Articles about Fourth Amendment - tribunedigital-baltimoresun