Fourth Amendment Rights of Students

According to the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution,

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated; and no Warrants shall issue but upon probable cause … and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Fourth Amendment has far-reaching ramifications in higher education with respect to searches of students' dormitory rooms or their persons incident to drug testing of participants in intercollegiate athletics, whether in public or private institutions of higher learning. This entry reviews litigation in which courts have examined the Fourth Amendment rights of college and university students.

Dormitory Searches at Public Colleges and Universities

The Supreme Court's only case involving ...

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