What does the Fourth Amendment protect individuals against?

The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures. This provision establishes an important legal framework that requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant based on probable cause before conducting searches or making arrests, unless specific exceptions apply. The primary intent is to safeguard people's privacy and personal property from arbitrary government interference.

In practice, this means that evidence collected without a warrant or under unreasonable circumstances may be deemed inadmissible in court, emphasizing the importance of due process. This protection is a fundamental aspect of American legal rights and is essential for ensuring that individual liberties are upheld against potential abuses of power by the state.

Other choices refer to different protections under the Bill of Rights: protection against self-incrimination is covered by the Fifth Amendment, protection against double jeopardy is also in the Fifth Amendment, and the protection against excessive bail is found in the Eighth Amendment. Each of these amendments addresses specific rights but does not encompass the protection from unreasonable searches and seizures provided by the Fourth Amendment.