Law enforcement may not obtain information from providers on all mobile devices near a crime scene.
The Supreme Court found this week that law enforcement must obtain a warrant for sweeping cell phone location data near crime scenes. The decision determined that such “geofence” surveillance comprises a search under the Fourth Amendment, which restricts the government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures.
Justice Elena Kagan stated in the majority opinion that the Fourth Amendment applies to the risk of “undue encroachment” in police searches of physical location information in provider databases.
“That database is new, but the principle covering it is not: That principle is instead the one our history has given,” Justice Kagan wrote. “The Fourth Amendment must, as ever, protect against unjustified governmental intrusion on the privacy of the individual.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the justices of the Supreme Court to be discerning in their choices of cases to hear in the fall term.
- For God’s protection over federal justices and judges as threats to their safety have increased.
Sources: UPI News, Daily Caller
