et al. Michigan Department of State Police v. Sitz - What About Airport Checkpoints?

The Court's position was to determine whether the sobriety checkpoint program violated the Fourth Amendment--outlawing unreasonable search and seizure--as well as the Fourteenth Amendment--which prevents states from enacting laws that violate citizens' other constitutional rights. Challenges against unreasonable search and seizure had been argued before. For instance, a person who enters the United States at a border crossing can expect to be briefly detained and questioned; the same holds true for those passing through security gates into airport boarding areas. Such controls--to deter the entry of illegal aliens, and to prevent firearms or explosives from being carried onto planes--are considered valid since their ultimate goal in advancing the public interest outweighs their inconvenience to the average citizen thusly detained.