Supreme Court says government generally needs warrant to obtain cellphone location information – IOTW Report

Supreme Court says government generally needs warrant to obtain cellphone location information

WaExaminer: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday in a blockbuster Fourth Amendment case that the government generally must have a warrant to obtain a cellphone user’s location information from a cellphone company.

The court ruled 5-4 in the case, and Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion. He was joined by the liberal justices.

With its ruling, the Supreme Court reversed a ruling from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and sent the case back to the lower court.

“We decline to grant the state unrestricted access to a wireless carrier’s database of physical location information. In light of the deeply revealing nature of [cell site location information], its depth, breadth, and comprehensive reach, and the inescapable and automatic nature of its collection, the fact that such information is gathered by a third party does not make it any less deserving of Fourth Amendment protection,” Roberts wrote. “The government’s acquisition of the cell-site records here was a search under that amendment.”  MORE

10 Comments on Supreme Court says government generally needs warrant to obtain cellphone location information

  1. Legally they may need some silly paper
    from a judge but electronically a few key
    strokes on the computer and presto…No judge needed.
    Radioationman knows these things.

    7
  2. To me this seems good news. All they said is that if LEO wants to get that information they need to show probable cause and get a warrant. So I don’t understand why the conservative justices were opposed. Roberts was the tiebreaker in this case, siding with the lib judges.

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  3. Sounds great but the DOJ and the FBI know its just fluff for the general public, nothing they will have to deal with other than a phone call or two to a friend who knows a friend.

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  4. Just take a deep breath everyone. This is a good law and it’s not like the government would ever spy on us or listen in…………..
    Oh shit, were f**ked.
    Lying bastards.

    2

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