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Exclusionary Rule (Political Science)
A legal principle that evidence collected in violation of the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution against unreasonable searches and seizures may not be used against a person in court. The purpose of the exclusionary rule is to deter the police and prosecutors from illegally collecting evidence. The origins of the exclusionary rule may be traced to 1886, when the Supreme Court in Boyd v. United States held unconstitutional the compulsory production of business papers.
In 1914, the Supreme Court's decision in Weeks v. U.S. established that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures could not be used against a person in federal court. In 1961, the exclusionary rule was applied to state courts through the Fourteenth Amendment ...