O'Connor v. Ortega

In a time when the workplace has become an extension of one's personal life, where the employee spends a significant part of his day, the Supreme Court has found it necessary to examine what the right to privacy encompasses. In O'Connor v. Ortega they established that an employee, regardless of the sector in which employed, has a reasonable right to expect his privacy be held inviolate. However, the employer also has the right to intrude upon that privacy if circumstances warrant it in the efficient running of the agency and in order to assert control over the functions of business operations. Because the probable cause justification can be unwieldy when timely actions are required, the Supreme Court relies upon standards of reasonableness and common sense in breaking the trust of the Fourth Amendment.