Citation[]
California v. Ciraolo, 476 U.S. 207 (1986) (full-text).
Factual Background[]
The police received a tip that Dante Ciraolo was growing marijuana in his backyard, but high fences prevented them from viewing his backyard from the street. The police borrowed a plane, flew it over the backyard and easily spotted marijuana plants growing there.
U.S. Supreme Court[]
Ciraolo argued that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated because the government did not get a warrant. The Court rejected this argument, explaining that there was no intrusion into his privacy because "[a]ny member of the public flying in this airspace who glanced down could have seen everything that these officers observed."