Silver Platter Doctrine

The Silver Platter Doctrine refers to a legal principle in U.S. law that allowed evidence obtained by state law enforcement in violation of federal rights to be used in federal prosecutions. This doctrine emerged from the idea that if state officials gathered evidence without following federal constitutional standards, that evidence could still be presented in federal court as if it were legitimate. However, this doctrine was largely overturned by the Supreme Court in 1980 with the decision in *Cherokee National v. Oklahoma* and subsequent cases, leading to stronger protections against unlawful evidence gathering across jurisdictions.