What does music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and Donald Trump have in common?

Spectrum

Both Diddy and former President Donald Trump have had their properties searched by law enforcement authorities pursuant to search warrants.

Diddy just recently had his properties searched by Homeland Security and in August 2022, Trump had his Mar-a-Lago home searched by the FBI.

Both searches took place after judges reviewed sworn affidavits from law enforcement officers alleging that evidence of criminal activity was present at the locations.

Judges then issued the warrants for gathering evidence of potential crimes. In Trump’s case, the warrant called for the seizure of the allegedly classified documents from Trump’s Florida residence.

Trump’s search warrant was issued after numerous requests and a subpoena for the return of the documents were unsuccessful.

Subpoenas and search warrants are often confusing to the average citizen. It is sometimes difficult to understand the difference. They also should not be construed, alone, as indicators of crimes.

On this edition of Spectrum, host and retired judge Tom Hodson joins with legal analyst and retired judge Gayle Williams-Byers to explain subpoenas and search warrants in understandable terms.

They talk about how they are issued, executed, and enforced if there is noncompliance.

They explain the complexities of these legal processes by using simple examples to which all people can relate.