What is the exclusionary rule?

• A. The rule applies only to state trials.
• B. The rule only applies to searches, not seizures.
• C. Evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment is generally inadmissible in court.
• D. Evidence obtained in violation may be admitted if the officer acted in good faith.

Answer: (C)

The exclusionary rule is the principle that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment is generally inadmissible in court. This rule exists to deter police from conducting unlawful searches or seizures and to protect individuals’ constitutional rights. It applies in both federal and state prosecutions and covers improper actions tied to searches and seizures, not just one type.

That’s why the correct idea is that illegally obtained evidence is generally not admissible. There are recognized exceptions, like the good-faith exception, but those are specific carve-outs to the rule rather than the rule itself. The notion that it applies only to state trials or only to searches, or that evidence may always be admitted if the officer acted in good faith, are narrower or exception-based ideas that don’t capture the general rule.