SCOTUS Bans Warrantless Cell Phone Searches - Granite Grok

SCOTUS Bans Warrantless Cell Phone Searches

scotusIn a unanimous decision the US Supreme Court has handed down a major victory for privacy.  Law enforcement must obtain a warrant before looking at or searching the contents of your cell phone.

Washington Times

“The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought,” ChiefJustice John G. Roberts Jr.wrote for theunanimous court.

“Our answer to the question of what police must do before searching a cell phone seized incident to an arrest is accordingly simple— get a warrant.”

Justices even said police cannot check a cellphone’s call log, saying even those contain more information that just phone numbers, and so perusing them is a violation of privacy that can only be justified with a warrant.

Quick update from the SCOTUSBlog’s Live Blog

The Court does hold that a warrantless search is permitted in exigent circumstances, which is always true for searches. That is limited, however. The Court gives the examples of child abduction and the threat of bombs being detonated

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