Under the Fourth Amendment, who is protected from government searches and seizures?

• A. Only citizens
• B. Citizens and non-citizens in the U.S., military members, and corporations, from the gov't
• C. Only individuals
• D. Only government employees

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that the Fourth Amendment protects people from government intrusions into their privacy and property, and that protection isn’t limited to just citizens. It has been interpreted to cover anyone physically present in the United States, regardless of citizenship status. It also extends to service members and to corporate entities in appropriate contexts, meaning the government generally cannot search a person, their belongings, or their property without a valid reason and usually a warrant.

So why is this the best answer? Because it captures the broad reach of the Fourth Amendment: citizens and non-citizens in the U.S., military members, and corporations all have protections against unreasonable searches and seizures when the government acts. The other options are narrower—restricting protection to citizens, to individuals only, or to government employees—none of which reflect the full scope of how Fourth Amendment rights apply to people and relevant entities in real-world government actions.