Debates over the scope of unreasonable searches and seizures sparked the American Revolution as we'll learn in a moment. 1. Write out what happened.In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the Fourth Amendment applies to students in the public schools (New Jersey v. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures. But in the face of Prohibition, courts began to narrowly read the Fourth Amendment to give federal agents broader authority to search for illegal alcohol. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. It requires a warrant, based on probable cause, for searches. In the first case, the state courts allowed the search under the usual search-incident-to-arrest exception to the. It meant that, absent a valid warrant or a true emergency, neither the King nor his officers could search or seize you or your property. We believe that all students retain their Fourth Amendment rights in and out of school.