A Legal Analysis of the Search Warrants of the Amerithrax Investigation
-
Courtney Grafft
Abstract
One of the nation’s most complex investigations in its history stemmed from the 2001 anthrax attack letters. Filled with dead-ends, false leads, and flustered FBI and Postal Inspection officers trying to grapple with intricate scientific details, the Amerithrax investigation caused many to question the efforts of America's forefront investigative entity. The specialized American bioweapons community remained in a constant state of paranoia from late 2001 to 2008, and over 30,000 members of the American Society for Microbiology received a letter indicating the high probability “that one or more of you know” the anthrax killer. Finally, in 2007 the Amerithrax Task Force named Dr. Bruce Ivins, a civilian bioweapons specialist at the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), who only a few years before helped the officers sort through the complicated task of studying the weaponized anthrax, as the prime suspect. Investigative efforts ratcheted up in fall of 2007 when a series of warrants were issued to search Dr. Ivins’ home, office, and vehicles.Since the ratification of the Fourth Amendment in 1791, the United States has recognized the importance of a system with laws designed to prohibit unfettered investigations by the leaders of our country. This paper analyzes the search warrants utilized in the Dr. Ivins’ investigation and discusses the Fourth Amendment implications. First, a brief review of the state of America in September 2001 is detailed. Next, the paper discusses the facts of the Amerithrax investigation, including the mishap involving Steven Hatfill. Section III explains some Fourth Amendment search warrant basics before getting to the meat of this analysis: the actual search warrants of the Amerithrax investigation.
©2012 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Legal
- Introduction: Volume 3 of the Journal of Biosecurity, Biosafety & Biodefense Law
- Whistleblower and Liability Protections for Scientific Laboratory Employees
- WHO’S IN CHARGE OF BIOSECURITY? JURISDICTIONAL MATTERS
- Who has Jurisdiction of The Air During an International Health Crisis?
- WHO's Got Yellow Rain: An Analysis of the Yellow Rain Incident and the Possible Involvement of the World Health Organization
- BIOCRIMINOLOGY
- Duties and Difficulties of Investigating and Prosecuting Biocrimes
- A Legal Analysis of the Search Warrants of the Amerithrax Investigation
- BIOTHREATS AT THE BORDER
- The Role of Regulations in Minimizing the Bioterrorism Threat to Food Imports
- UNREGULATED POTENTIAL BIOSECURITY THREATS?
- The Mad (and not so Mad) Scientist Next Door: A Holistic Approach to Addressing Do-it-Yourself Biology
- Death Disguised as Life: Blood and Biosecurity
- SCOURGES, PLAGUES AND PLANS: WILL WE GET IT RIGHT?
- Foot and Mouth Disease: Then and Now
- Preparing for Another Round of Swine Flu: Will the WHO's Plan Prove to be a Success for the Global Community and Will the U.S. Lead the Way?
Articles in the same Issue
- Legal
- Introduction: Volume 3 of the Journal of Biosecurity, Biosafety & Biodefense Law
- Whistleblower and Liability Protections for Scientific Laboratory Employees
- WHO’S IN CHARGE OF BIOSECURITY? JURISDICTIONAL MATTERS
- Who has Jurisdiction of The Air During an International Health Crisis?
- WHO's Got Yellow Rain: An Analysis of the Yellow Rain Incident and the Possible Involvement of the World Health Organization
- BIOCRIMINOLOGY
- Duties and Difficulties of Investigating and Prosecuting Biocrimes
- A Legal Analysis of the Search Warrants of the Amerithrax Investigation
- BIOTHREATS AT THE BORDER
- The Role of Regulations in Minimizing the Bioterrorism Threat to Food Imports
- UNREGULATED POTENTIAL BIOSECURITY THREATS?
- The Mad (and not so Mad) Scientist Next Door: A Holistic Approach to Addressing Do-it-Yourself Biology
- Death Disguised as Life: Blood and Biosecurity
- SCOURGES, PLAGUES AND PLANS: WILL WE GET IT RIGHT?
- Foot and Mouth Disease: Then and Now
- Preparing for Another Round of Swine Flu: Will the WHO's Plan Prove to be a Success for the Global Community and Will the U.S. Lead the Way?
