See v. City of Seattle

Appellant

See

Appellee

City of Seattle

Appellant's Claim

That the city of Seattle Fire Department must have a search warrant consistent with the safeguards against unreasonable search offered by the Fourth Amendment to perform a fire code inspection of a locked private warehouse.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant

Norman Dorsen

Chief Lawyer for Appellee

A. L. Newbould

Justices for the Court

Hugo Lafayette Black, William J. Brennan, Jr., William O. Douglas, Abe Fortas, Earl Warren, Byron R. White (writing for the Court)

Justices Dissenting

Tom C. Clark, John Marshall Harlan II, Potter Stewart

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

5 June 1967

Decision

Upheld See's claim and overturned two lower courts' decisions allowing entry by the fire department over the owner's objections without a warrant.

Further Readings

• Biskupic, Joan, and Elder Witt. Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, 1997.
• "FAA Plans Tough Action Against Illegal Parts." Aviation Week & Space Technology, October 23, 1995.
• New York Times, April 17, 1994.
• "The Heat Seekers--Use of Thermal Imagery in Law Enforcement." The Nation, October 16, 1995.