What were the facts and holding of the U.S. Supreme Court in Katz v. U.S.? Why is this decision important?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The 1967 case of Katz v. United States caused the U.S. Congress to act in regards to the lack of laws pertaining to wiretapping and eavesdropping. In the Katz case, FBI agents attached an electronic listening and recording device to the outside of a public telephone booth that Katz was using to lay off Los Angeles gambling bets in Miami, Florida. The U.S. Supreme Court held that the FBI violated Katz's Fourth Amendment privacy rights and that the evidence obtained could not be used to obtain Katz's criminal gambling conviction. As a result of this court decision, in 1968 Congress enacted the Federal Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act. Most states followed by enacting similar state laws making the following changes in the laws on electronic surveillance:
- The laws authorize court orders permitting wiretapping and/or electronic surveillance by law enforcement officers in much the same manner as search warrants are issued.29
- The act makes wiretapping and electronic surveillance done in violation of the act a felony. The distribution, possession, and advertising of mechanical and electronic devices used for wiretapping and electronic surveillance are also made a felony.