WEEKS V. US - SEARCHES & SEIZURES

FACTS:

Police officers in Kansas City, Missouri went to the house of Mr. Fremont Weeks and used his hidden key to enter and search his home.  While there, they took papers, letters, books, and other items.  They did not have a search warrant.  These items were used in court to find Mr. Weeks guilty of sending lottery tickets through the U.S. mail.

ISSUE:

If probable cause is not used to get a search warrant, is the resulting warrantless search a violation of the 4th Amendment?

Mr. Weeks was found guilty in a criminal jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.  The guilty verdict was based on the evidence collected from his home.  Mr. Weeks then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.