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Mapp v. Ohio, important court case of 1961 in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that evidence procured through illegal searches and seizures by state officials may not be admitted into criminal trials. The case involved a Cleveland woman, Dolly Mapp, who was arrested for possessing obscene materials. Police had discovered the materials in her home during their unlawful search for a bombing suspect. After her state conviction, Mapp appealed to the U.…

…a bombing suspect. After her state conviction, Mapp appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that her rights had been violated under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which forbids unreasonable searches and seizures. The Court agreed and reversed her conviction. The Mapp decision applied the so-called exclusionary rule to the states. This rule provides that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment may not be admitted in trials.