The legal decision that establishes the start point for "warrantless" workplace searches is the supreme court's complex ruling in

It is the decision of the Supreme Court complex ruling in O'Connor v. Ortega. This case delineated two sectors in the workplace: public and private. Within the private sector, the Supreme Courts stated, "Every warrantless workplace search must be evaluated carefully on its facts. In the public sector, however, as established in the O'Connor case, public agencies may have compelling reasons to search in the workplace.