Zurcher v. Stanford Daily 436 U.S. 547

Case citation

Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...

 (1978) is a United States Supreme Court

Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 case from 1978 in which The Stanford Daily

The Stanford Daily

The Stanford Daily is the student-run, independent daily newspaper serving Stanford University. The Daily is distributed throughout campus and the surrounding community of Palo Alto, California, United States. It has published since the University was founded in 1892.The paper publishes weekdays...

, a student newspaper

Student newspaper

A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....

 at Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

, was searched by police after they suspected the paper to be in possession of photographs of a demonstration that took place at the campus' medical center in April 1971. The paper filed a suit claiming that under the protection of the First

First Amendment to the United States Constitution

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...

 and Fourth

Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause...

 Amendments of the Constitution

United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

, the warrants were unconstitutional and that the searches should have fallen under the context of subpoenas. The court ruled against The Stanford Daily; however, Congress passed the Privacy Protection Act of 1980

Privacy Protection Act of 1980

The Privacy Protection Act of 1980 is legislation passed in the United States that protects journalists and newsrooms from search by government officials. The act protects "work products" and "documentary materials." A subpoena must be ordered by the court to gain access to the information. The...

, which prohibits search and seizures related to journalism unless the writer is suspected of a crime or a life-threatening situation is present.