It was legal because in the king&#x27;s eyes, the colonists weren&#x27;t really citizens, they were just <i>subjects</i>, and therefore <i>subject</i> to search and seizure on a whim.  That was one of the reasons we had a revolution.<p>There was also a brief period between 1789-1791 where it wasn&#x27;t explicitly clear that it was illegal, but that was resolved by amending the constitution.