Political Quotes

“I am, however, as are others, concerned about the wisdom of the provisions of H.R. 666, the bill for which this rule has been granted. As my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee have written, H.R. 666 "commits affirmative harm to the Constitution." It breaks our Constitution's promise, as expressed in the fourth amendment, and which has been maintained for over 200 years, that all Americans have the right to be protected from arbitrary and unfounded governmental invasions of their homes. The protections of the fourth amendment have been enforced through the exclusionary rule, which prohibits prosecutors from using evidence in criminal cases that has been obtained in violation of the constitutional guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. We should not only question the provisions of H.R. 666 which allow the use of evidence obtained without a warrant as going beyond permissible police search and seizure powers, but we must also question whether Congress has the power to change the exclusionary rule by simple legislation rather than by a constitutional amendment.”