Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States
Citation
251 U.S. 385 (1920)
Facts
Government agents illegally seized documents from the Silverthorne Lumber Company; a court ordered the documents returned, but the government had already copied them and sought to use those copies and derived knowledge to obtain an indictment.
Issue
Whether the government may use copies of documents obtained through an unlawful search, or use the knowledge gained from such documents, even after the originals were returned.
Holding
The Court held that the copies and any knowledge derived from the illegal seizure were also suppressed and could not be used to obtain an indictment.
Rule
The government cannot use evidence derived from an unlawful search even in indirect form — foundational statement of the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine; the essence of an illegal act cannot be made the means of obtaining evidence indirectly.