4th-8th Amendments

4th Amendment: Searches and Seizures
*The 4th Amendment guarantees Americans their privacy.

-The government is prohibited from conducting illegal searches and seizures.

-For the government to search or seize your property they must first attain a warrant.

-Warrants cannot be issued without probable cause.


5th Amendment: Rights of Accused Persons
*The 5th Amendment protects the legal rights of accused people in criminal proceedings.

-No one may be put on trial for a serious crime unless a grand jury finds sufficient evidence against the accused.

-No one may be put in double jeopardy. This means that a person can only be put on trial for a specific crime once.

-No one can be forced to testify against themselves, or say anything under oath than can be self-incriminating.

-All people are guaranteed due process of law. This means that all people are guaranteed all the rights and privileges available under the law.

-The government may take private property for public
use only when it pays the owner a price that is fair market
value or greater. This is called eminent domain.

6th Amendment: Procedural Rights of Accused Persons
*This Amendment protects the procedural rights of accused people in criminal proceedings.
-All people accused of a crime are entitled to a fair and speedy trial.
- All people accused of a crime are entitled to a trial by a jury of their peers.
-All people are entitled to a trial in the state and district where the crime was committed.
-All people accused of a crime have the right to be informed of the charges against them.
-All witnesses must testify against the accused publicly in an open court with the accused present.
-All people accused of a crime are entitled to have witnesses testify favorably on their behalf in court.
-All people accused of a crime have the right to be represented in court by an attorney.

7th Amendment: Civil Suits
*Anyone being sued in federal court is guaranteed a trial by jury as long as the amount that they are being sued for is greater than $20.

8th Amendment: Bail and Punishment
-People who are arrested for a crime may be released until the date of their trial if they pay a sum of money called bail that is reasonably related to the seriousness of the crime they were accused of.
-Fines may be imposed on people as a form of legal punishment. The fine must not be excessive, it must be reasonably related to the seriousness of the crime.
-No cruel and unusual punishments can be imposed on a person convicted of a crime.