Opinion ID: 1392567
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Warrant Requirement and Its Exceptions

Text: Both the fourth amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section 7 of the Hawai`i Constitution ensure that an individual's legitimate expectations of privacy will not be subjected to unreasonable governmental intrusions. State v. Bonnell, 75 Haw. 124, 136, 856 P.2d 1265, 1272 (1993). When a governmental intrusion does not invade an individual's legitimate expectation of privacy, there is no `search' subject to the Warrant Clause. Illinois v. Andreas, 463 U.S. 765, 771, 103 S.Ct. 3319, 3324, 77 L.Ed.2d 1003 (1983). However, governmental agents are prohibited from searching through an individual's belongings at will. See In re Jane Doe, 77 Hawai`i 435, 439, 887 P.2d 645, 649 (1994). In order to search an area in which an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy, government officials are required to obtain a search warrant to assure that such searches will be based on probable cause and be limited in their scope. The basic purpose ... [of these constitutional provisions] is to safeguard the privacy and security of individuals against arbitrary invasions by government officials. Bonnell, 75 Haw. at 136, 856 P.2d at 1272 (brackets in original and internal quotation marks omitted) (citing Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U.S. 523, 528, 87 S.Ct. 1727, 1730, 18 L.Ed.2d 930 (1967)). We have stated that, [i]f anything is settled in the law of search and seizure, it is that a search without a warrant issued upon probable cause is unreasonable per se[.] State v. Fields, 67 Haw. 268, 281, 686 P.2d 1379, 1389 (1984) (citations omitted); see also State v. Propios, 76 Hawai`i 474, 477, 879 P.2d 1057, 1060 (1994); State v. Perham, 72 Haw. 290, 292, 814 P.2d 914, 915, reconsideration denied, 72 Haw. 616, 841 P.2d 1074 (1991); Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443, 454-55, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 2031-32, 29 L.Ed.2d 564, reh'g denied, 404 U.S. 874, 92 S.Ct. 26, 30 L.Ed.2d 120 (1971). However, we have also recognized that the warrant requirement is subject ... to a few specifically established and well-delineated exceptions. Fields, 67 Haw. at 281, 686 P.2d at 1389 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). [T]hese exceptions provide for those cases where the societal costs of obtaining a warrant, such as danger to law officers or the risk of loss or destruction of evidence, outweigh the reasons for prior recourse to a neutral magistrate. State v. Clark, 65 Haw. 488, 494, 654 P.2d 355, 360 (1982) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted); see also State v. Ritte, 68 Haw. 253, 257, 710 P.2d 1197, 1201 (1985) (probable cause and exigent circumstances); Fields, 67 Haw. at 283, 686 P.2d at 1383-84 (probationary status); State v. Russo, 67 Haw. 126, 137, 681 P.2d 553, 561 (1984) (consensual searches); State v. Paahana, 66 Haw. 499, 505-06, 666 P.2d 592, 597 (1983) (search incident to arrest); Clark, 65 Haw. at 498, 654 P.2d at 362 (preincarceration searches); State v. Kapoi, 64 Haw. 130, 140, 637 P.2d 1105, 1113 (1981) (open view); State v. Faulkner, 64 Haw. 101, 106-08, 637 P.2d 770, 774-75 (1981) (automobile exception); State v. Bennett, 62 Haw. 59, 610 P.2d 502 (1980) (stop and frisk); State v. Powell, 61 Haw. 316, 603 P.2d 143 (1979) (plain view).