Fourth Amendment issues
type: Concept
narrower: writs of assistance

concepts
type: Collection
type: ConceptGroup
member: writs of assistance

writs of assistance
type: Concept
definition: Writs of assistance were general search warrants used by British officials during the colonial period to discover smuggled goods. Unlike modern warrants, they did not require an evidentiary showing for issuance, and they were not limited to a particular case or place. [Source: Encyclopedia of the Fourth Amendment; Writs of Assistance]
broader: Fourth Amendment issues