Mapp v. Ohio extended the Exclusionary Rule to apply to which courts?

• A. Federal courts only
• B. State courts
• C. Tribal courts
• D. Military tribunals

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how constitutional protections travel with the law through incorporation. Weeks v. United States established the exclusionary rule for federal prosecutions, barring illegally obtained evidence from being used in federal courts. Mapp v. Ohio extended that same safeguard to the states by applying the Fourth Amendment through the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process requirement, so state criminal prosecutions in state courts must also suppress illegally gathered evidence. That’s why the rule now covers state courts, not just federal ones. Tribal courts and military tribunals operate under different procedures and precedents, so they aren’t the focus of this extension.