If the warrant is issued by a magistrate and the name is not known, what description must appear?

• A. The description in the complaint.
• B. A generic description.
• C. A reasonably definite description.
• D. No description is required.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that warrants must identify the target with enough detail to avoid open-ended searches. When the name of the person isn’t known, the warrant must still point to a specific individual using a reasonably definite description. That level of description gives officers a clear, identifiable target without requiring a person’s exact name, satisfying the requirement of particularity and preventing broad or vague searches.

A reasonably definite description might include distinctive physical characteristics, location, time frame, or other identifiers that would allow a reasonable person to recognize the correct individual. If the description were generic or vague, it could sweep in the wrong people; if no description were required, it would undermine the protections against general warrants.

So the correct standard is a reasonably definite description.