Kyllo v. United States

Kyllo v. United States is a landmark case in the United States Supreme Court that took place in 2001. The case is significant in the field of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, as it pertains to issues of search and seizure.

Background

Danny Lee Kyllo, the petitioner in this case, was suspected by the Department of Justice of growing marijuana in his home. To confirm their suspicions, the Department of Justice used a thermal imaging device to scan Kyllo's home for signs of the high-intensity lamps typically used in indoor marijuana growth. The scan showed that Kyllo's garage was significantly warmer than the rest of his home and the surrounding homes, leading to a search warrant and subsequent arrest and conviction of Kyllo.

Supreme Court Case

Kyllo appealed his conviction, arguing that the thermal imaging scan constituted a search under the Fourth Amendment and thus required a warrant. The case, Kyllo v. United States, eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in a 5-4 decision that the thermal imaging scan did indeed constitute a search. The majority opinion, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, held that when the government uses a device not in general public use to explore details of a home that would previously have been unknowable without physical intrusion, the surveillance is a Fourth Amendment "search" and is presumptively unreasonable without a warrant.

Impact

The Kyllo decision has had a significant impact on Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, particularly in cases involving advanced surveillance technology. It has been cited in numerous subsequent cases and has been a key factor in debates over privacy rights in the digital age.

See Also

• Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
• United States v. Jones (2012)
• Carpenter v. United States