Jeffrey Purcell, age 14, of Gulfport, miss., for his question:

WHAT IS A SEARCH WARRANT?

A search warrant is a paper that is issued by a court. It permits a law officer to search a house or other building.

A search warrant is issued only if there is reasonable cause to believe that illegal equipment, such as gambling devices, burglar tools or counterfeiting machinery, is hidden there.

A search warrant may also be issued to search for persons. In the United States Constitution, Amendment 4 states that no unreasonable searches or seizures may be made. The cause of a search must be supported by oath. The warrant must describe the place to be searched and exactly who is to be seized in the search.

Before 1760, search warrants in England and America were issued only for concealed stolen goods. In England, searches and seizures became so great an issue, and were finally so restricted, that it lead to the saying that "every mans home is his castle."

Under international law, a nation at war has the right to visit and search merchant ships of neutral nations. The purposes are to determine the true nationality of the vessel and to find out whether the vessel is engaged in unneutral service or in carrying contraband of war.