Minor v. City of Atlanta

Certain police officers of the City of Atlanta went to the defendant’s “near beer” saloon and compelled him to allow them to enter an adjacent back room, in which they found hidden a quantity of intoxicating liquors; he being present and protesting. They had what they called a search warrant, but whether the instrument had any legal efficacy as a search warrant it is not necessary for us to decide. For present purposes, we will consider the case just as if the so-called search warrant were wholly invalid. When the evidence thus obtained was offered against the defendant in the police court,…