In Griffin v. Wisconsin, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that a probation officer's search of a probationer's home without a warrant did not violate the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. The case involved Edward Griffin who was on probation for burglary when his parole officer searched his apartment based on information from police that he may have been in possession of firearms, which would be violation of his parole conditions. During this search, they found an illegal firearm and charged him with its possession. Griffin argued that the evidence should be suppressed because it was obtained through an unconstitutional search since there was no warrant or consent given for it. The court held by a 5-4 majority decision that while people under supervision such as probationers do have some level of privacy protection under the Fourth Amendment, these rights can be reasonably restricted to ensure compliance with their terms of release and protect society from potential harm.

In the dissenting opinion for Griffin v. Wisconsin, Justice Thurgood Marshall argued that probationers do not surrender their Fourth Amendment rights and should be afforded the same protections against unreasonable searches as any other citizen. He disagreed with the majority's assertion that a probationer’s home is simply an extension of the state correctional network. Instead, he maintained that a person does not lose his or her expectation of privacy in their own home by virtue of being on probation. Furthermore, he contended that allowing warrantless searches without probable cause undermines public trust in law enforcement and violates fundamental principles of fairness and dignity inherent to our justice system.