He based it on the First Amendment, stating that he had the right to possess the materials. However, when the case reached the Supreme Court, her First Amendment claim was not addressed and instead she threw out her conviction on other grounds, the Supreme Court stated that the evidence against her should not have been used because they were seized with a warrant and is in violation of the Fourth Amendment, the exclusionary rule. In Cooper's case, the court held that exclusionary provisions are an "essential part" of the Fourth Amendment and that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that "No State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or liberty" property, without due process of law,” meaning that the federal exclusionary rule applies to the states. The exclusion applied in federal courts should also be applied in state courts