In the 1995 case of Ray A. Lewis v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that a parolee could be searched without a warrant or probable cause under certain conditions. The court held that such searches do not violate the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures because they are part of an established system designed to rehabilitate parolees and protect society from potential harm. This decision was based on balancing public safety with individual rights, as well as recognizing that those on parole have diminished expectations of privacy due to their status within the criminal justice system.

In the dissenting opinion for Ray A. Lewis v. United States, Justice Ginsburg argued that the majority's decision to uphold a warrantless search of a parolee's home was inconsistent with Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. She contended that while parolees do have diminished expectations of privacy, they should not be stripped entirely of their constitutional rights without clear legal justification. Furthermore, she expressed concern about potential abuses by law enforcement if such broad exceptions to the Fourth Amendment were allowed to stand unchallenged. In her view, any search conducted without a warrant or probable cause should be considered presumptively unreasonable unless it falls within one of the established exceptions recognized by previous court rulings.