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Quotation from Mapp v. Ohio by Supreme Court of the United States

“The criminal goes free, if he must, but it is the law that sets him free.”

Supreme Court of the United States

Mapp v. Ohio, Opinion of the Court (Clark, J.), Part V (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource))

Portrait of Supreme Court of the United States

Justice Clark answers the objection, made famous by Judge Cardozo, that excluding evidence lets the criminal go free because the constable blundered.

Citation: "The criminal goes free, if he must, but it is the law that sets him free." — Supreme Court of the United States, Mapp v. Ohio, Opinion of the Court (Clark, J.), Part V (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource)). (id mapp-v-ohio-q1)

Portrait: Official portrait of Associate Justice Tom C. Clark, Supreme Court of the United States (cropped), Unknown photographer, Public domain.

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Quote card: The criminal goes free, if he must, but it is the law that sets him free.