California v. Ciraolo

Citation
California v. Ciraolo, 476 U.S. 207 (1986) (full-text).

Factual Background
The police received a tip that Dante Ciraolo was growing marijuana in his backyard, but high fences prevented them from viewing his backyard from the street. The police borrowed a plane, flew it over the backyard and easily spotted marijuana plants growing there.

U.S. Supreme Court
Ciraolo argued that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated because the government did not get a warrant. The Court rejected this argument, explaining that there was no intrusion into his privacy because "[a]ny member of the public flying in this airspace who glanced down could have seen everything that these officers observed."

Source

 * Protecting Privacy From Aerial Surveillance: Recommendations for Government Use of Drone Aircraft, at 13.