Final answer:
The Constitution, through the Fourth Amendment, allows for searches and seizures by government authorities only with a search warrant, obtained with probable cause, except under specific circumstances such as lack of reasonable expectation of privacy or exigent circumstances.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Constitution specifies the circumstances under which a person’s property, residence, or body can be searched by government authority. According to the Fourth Amendment, the government is prohibited from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures, and a search warrant must generally be obtained before a search or seizure can be legally conducted. This warrant is a legal document authorized by a judge, which allows law enforcement to carry out a search of a person, location, or vehicle and to seize evidence of a crime.
Exceptions to the search warrant requirement have been established over time by the Supreme Court. These include situations where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, consent to search is given, there are exigent circumstances with a probable risk of evidence being destroyed, or when illegal items are in plain view of a government official.
Moreover, specific circumstances like searches related to border control or automobile searches have different standards due to reduced expectations of privacy and the mobile nature of vehicles. Overall, while the probable cause is necessary to secure a search warrant, the threshold is lower than what is needed to secure a conviction in a court of law. Hence, law enforcement must demonstrate reasonable belief that a crime has occurred or that evidence will be found at the site of the intended search.