TIH: 1961 Mapp v. Ohio

In 1961 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down one of its most important, if not most revolutionary cases on criminal procedure--Mapp v. Ohio.  Now that the exclusionary rule applied in state courts, the limitations of the Fourth Amendment on the police finally became a national reality.  State courts would be flooded with defense motions to exclude evidence and federal courts would be called upon to review state court decisions on the Fourth Amendment and exclusionary rule.  This case caused radical changes in police training and procedures everywhere.  Although much-criticized, the case was a great victory for those who love liberty and want serious limits on government power.  Although the conservatives who dominated later Courts (and even some liberal Justices), began gutting the rule, it still remains a powerful tool for vindicating the Fourth Amendment.