Reading Assignment for Section 3.2

Read the following subsection from our online textbook: Section 3.2: Warrant Issuance.

What You Will Learn

In this section, you’ll explore the critical role of judges or magistrates in the warrant issuance process, ensuring that every warrant meets constitutional standards. You’ll learn how the “totality of the circumstances” approach is used to evaluate probable cause and how affidavits and testimony must be factual and reliable to support warrant applications. By the end, you’ll have a solid understanding of the constitutional requirements for specificity in warrants and the legal tools available to challenge invalid warrants, including the “good faith” exception.

Student Learning Outcomes for Section 3.2

• SLO 1: Explain the role of judges or magistrates in warrant issuance, including their responsibility as neutral and detached decision-makers in assessing probable cause.
• SLO 2: Describe the “totality of the circumstances” approach established in Illinois v. Gates and evaluate how it applies to the determination of probable cause in warrant applications.
• SLO 3: Identify the requirements for affidavits and sworn testimony used to support warrant applications, emphasizing the importance of credible sources and factual accuracy.
• SLO 4: Analyze the constitutional requirements for specificity in warrant applications, including the description of places and items to be searched, as outlined in United States v. Grubbs.
• SLO 5: Assess the legal standards for challenging warrant validity, including the use of suppression motions and the “good faith” exception established in United States v. Leon.