Home "visits"

On Nov. 26 the Washington Post reported that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Sanchez v. San Diego (pdf, 49pp), a decision rendered by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Sanchez upheld a program of the San Diego District Attorney whereby its investigators search welfare applicants' homes, unannounced and without warrants, to confirm their eligibility for aid. If they refuse the searches, they are disqualified from benefits.

A New York Times editorial (Nov. 28) was critical of the decision, stating in part:

This week, the Supreme Court let stand a disturbing ruling out of California that allows law enforcement to barge into people's homes without a warrant. The case has not prompted much outrage, perhaps because the people whose privacy is being invaded are welfare recipients, but it is a serious setback for the privacy rights of all Americans.

The editorial quoted from the dissenting opinion of seven judges that the majority decision "strikes an unprecedented blow at the core of Fourth Amendment protections."