Arizona Constitution Article 2 Section 8 Interpretation

In State v. Bolt, 142 Ariz. 260, 689 P.2d 519 (1984), the Arizona Supreme Court considered Article 2, 8 of the Arizona Constitution in the context of a warrantless entry of police into an Arizona citizen's home. Id. at 263, 689 P.2d at 522. The supreme court concluded that a warrantless entry of a home in the absence of exigent circumstances violated the Arizona Constitution's guarantee of the right to privacy. Id. at 265, 689 P.2d at 524. Focusing on the specific language in Article 2, 8, the court stated: While we are cognizant of the need for uniformity in interpretation, we are also aware of our people's fundamental belief in the sanctity and privacy of the home and the consequent prohibition against warrantless entry. We believe that it was these considerations that caused the framers of our constitution to settle upon the specific wording in Article 2, 8. Id. at 264, 689 P.2d at 523.