Silverthorne Lumber Co., Inc. v. United States, 251 U.S. 385 (1920)

Silverthorne Lumber Co., Inc. v. United States


No. 358


Argued December 12, 1919
Decided January 26, 1920
251 U.S. 385

ERROR TO THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

Syllabus

The Fourth Amendment protects a corporation and its officers from compulsory production of the corporate books and papers for use in a criminal proceeding against them when the information upon which the subpoenas were framed was derived by the Government through a previous unconstitutional search and seizure, planned and executed by its officials under color of a void writ, provided the defense of the Amendment be seasonably interposed, and not first raised as a collateral issue at the trial of the indictment. P. 391.

The rights of a corporation against unlawful search and seizure are to be protected even if it be not protected by the Fifth Amendment from compulsory production of incriminating documents. P. 362.

Reversed.

The case is stated in the opinion.