Ex-Gov. Jesse Ventura Sues Over TSA Pat-downs

By Jason Beahm on January 27, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Jesse "The Body" Ventura is known for a lot of things. Being bombastic, bold, becoming governor of Minnesota and appearing on Larry King Live. 

Now he is making headlines against after suing the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and TSA Administrator John Pistole. Ventura, alleges that the full-body scans and pat-down being conducted at the airports violate his Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizure.

We all hear about the Fourth Amendment in the news, but what does the actual text say? Let's have a look:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The former governor is asking a federal judge to issue an injunction demanding that TSA officials stop subjecting him to unreasonable "warrantless and suspicionless" searches. Jesse Ventura contends that the TSA pat-downs violate his rights to personal privacy and dignity and are a legitimate cause for concern for his personal health, the Associated Press reports.

The lawsuit points to November 2010 as the tipping point. Ventura had a hip replacement back in 2008, which consistently sets off metal detectors. Prior to November, Ventura was only subjected to a hand-held wand to scan his body. Now Ventura says that he is repeatedly subjected to a body pat-down without the option of a wand. Ventura finds this a form of "humiliation and degradation through unwanted touching, gripping and rubbing of the intimate areas of his body," the AP reports.

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