Mapp vs Ohio

1
Mapp vs Ohio

• By Kevin Paredes and Juanita Trujillo

2
Year and Historical Setting

• The Mapp vs Ohio was a case that was decided by
  the United States Supreme Court that evidence
  obtained by unreasonable searches and seizure
  is violation of the Fourth Amendment. The
  evidence may not be used in criminal prosecutions
  in the state courts and federal courts.
• On May 23, 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio police broke
  in to Mapps house and search it.
• On May 29,1961 Mapps case was held in the United
  States Supreme Court.

3
Details of What Happened

• In 1957, police officers suspected that a bombing
  fugitive and illegal betting equipment were in
  Dollree Mapps house. Three officers wanted
  demanded to go in her house but she refused
  because they didnt have a warrant. Few hours
  later they came back and broke into her house
  without a warrant and
  searched her house. Mapp was
  arrested and held in her bedroom while
  police searched the entire house. The
  police never found anything but
  pornographic material.

4

Details of What Happened

• The pornographic material that was taken from the
  Mapp house was obscene under Ohio law. Mapp was
  not changed with the King bombing but the police
  brought two unrelated cases against her a
  misdemeanor gambling charge for possession of the
  betting slips and felony obscenity charge for the
  pornographic material. Month after her arrest she
  was acquitted on the gambling misdemeanor
  charges.

5
Arguments for Mapp

• The police had no warrant to enter. Any evidence
  found in the house should be dismissed. She
  believed that the 4th amendment is supposed to
  guard against unreasonable searches and seizures.

6
Arguments for the State of Ohio

• The 14th Amendment did not forbid them from
  finding evidence by an unreasonable search and
  seizure. They also thought that the Bill of
  Rights only limits the actions of the National
  Government.

7
Results

• During the trial the police said that they went
  to the house looking for Virgil Ogletree and
  found the obscene materials in Mapps bedroom not
  the basement during their search. They also said
  that Mapp allowed the officers inside her house
  and that they had a search warrant. But Mapps
  defense team tired to sought the details of the
  search warrant.

8
Result

• The State of Ohio ignored the right to the
  exclusionary rule. At the end of the trial Mapp
  was convicted by the state of Ohio and sentenced
  to serve up to seven years in the Ohio
  Reformatory for women.

9
Result

• Mapp appealed to higher Ohio courts but the
  appeals failed. Mapp appealed to the US Supreme
  Court, arguing that her Fourth Amendment rights
  had been violated. The Court reversed Mapp's
  conviction.

10
Importance of the Trial

• The trial created the Mapp rule which limited the
  power of the police. It has been modified to
  apply to certain cases.
• Creating the rule that all illegally obtained
  evidence will be excluded from state and federal
  trials.

11
Cartoon of Mapp v Ohio