The Fourth Amendment protects "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." When it comes to a person's home, that generally means that the police may not enter without a warrant.

But what if there might be an emergency occurring inside the home? Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a far-reaching case that centers on what is called the "emergency aid exception" to the Fourth Amendment.

This case, known as Case v. Montana, presented the following question to the justices: "whether law enforcement may enter a home without a search warrant based on less than probable cause that an emergency is occurring, or whether the emergency-aid exception requires probable cause." In other words, sh

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