Question

In Katz v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled on whether police could tap a public phone without a warrant. Identify one way in which the case is legally significant.

A. It determined the legal status of phone booths.
B. It established the idea of a reasonable expectation of privacy.
C. It led to new laws on who could issue warrants.
D. It increased the power of the Supreme Court.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B

Katz v. United States is a landmark decision enacted by the US Supreme Court in 1967. The case discusses the extent of the "right to privacy" and the limits when intangible property is searched, for example, phone calls or other forms of electronic communications.

The Court had to redefine the previous definition of "unreasonable search and seizure", provided by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, to include these new forms of intangible intrusion, extending protection to situations where the individual has a "reasonable expectation of privacy". Hence, conducting a search on inmaterial property without a warrant issued by a jury is regarded unconstitutional. Moreover, the 'Katz' test was implemented' to assess when a person has a "reasonable expectation of privacy".

Answer 2

Based on the given description above regarding the use of public phone made by the police without a warrant, this case can be considered legally significant in a way that it established the idea of a reasonable expectation of privacy. The best answer for this would be option B. Hope this helps.