Warrantless Searches, Tariffs, and the Unitary Executive: 3 SCOTUS Cases To Watch This Fall
In a new Supreme Court term packed with big cases, these disputes stand out.
Searches
Border Cops Try To Make an End Run Around Attorney-Client Privilege
Detroit lawyer Amir Makled has confidential client data on his phone. That didn’t stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection from trying to search it.
State Constitution Tool
A great free resource for lawyers, judges, academics, and students doing cross-state constitutional law research.
The DEA Claims To Be Able To Search Your Bag Without Your Consent. But Can They?
Recent footage shows a federal agent attempting to search a citizen’s bag without their consent, despite precedent saying that’s illegal.
Michigan Supreme Court Allows Evidence Collected by Drone, Without a Warrant
The court declined to address whether the search violated the Fourth Amendment and merely held that the evidence could not be excluded in a civil case.
Appeals Court Rules That Cops Can Physically Make You Unlock Your Phone
The 9th Circuit determined that forcibly mashing a suspect's thumb into his phone to unlock it was akin to fingerprinting him at the police station.
Louisiana Law Lets Wildlife Agents Trespass on Private Property
A lawsuit from the Institute for Justice claims the law violates the Louisiana Constitution.
Pennsylvania Police Settle Lawsuit With Woman Forced to Undergo 'Humiliating' Strip-Search
Even though police found no signs of drugs or other contraband, Holly Elish was strip-searched by Pennsylvania police officers.
NYC Child Protection Agency Uses 'Coercive Tactics' To Bully Parents Into Allowing Warrantless Searches
According to a new lawsuit, NYC's child protection agency almost never obtained warrants when it searched over 50,000 family homes during abuse and neglect investigations.
Appeals Court: FBI's Safe-Deposit Box Seizures Violated Fourth Amendment
Cases like this are exactly why the Fourth Amendment was adopted in the first place, wrote federal Judge Milan D. Smith Jr.
Odd Colorado Ruling Upholds Internet Keyword Search Warrant
Court says the warrant was “constitutionally defective” but grants police a “good faith” exception.
Should Governments Need a Warrant To Spy on You With a Drone?
The Michigan Supreme Court will hear opening arguments today in a case that could decide whether the practice is allowed.
Arbitrary Rental Inspections Violate Search and Seizure Protections, Says Iowa Court
Warrantless home invasions are intrusive and dangerous for those on the receiving end.
Feds May Need Warrants To Search Cell Phones at the Border After All
Snooping through emails, video, and photos isn’t the same as stumbling on containers full of cocaine.
A Civil Rights Attorney Started Filming a Traffic Stop. Then Police Arrested Her.
Her arrest may have been retaliation for her involvement in a lawsuit against the local police department.
Michigan Supreme Court To Decide If Government Can Warrantlessly Spy on You With Drones
The state court of appeals held previously that unconstitutionally collected evidence could still be used for civil enforcement.
West Virginia Family Court Judge with History of Arranging Warrantless Searches Resigns
We may have finally discovered a limit to judicial immunity.
Even States That Have Already Decriminalized Marijuana Use See Fewer Possession Arrests After Legalization
A study credits "an overall lower police search rate," the result of new priorities and legal constraints.
Federal Judge Decides Safe Deposit Boxes Aren't Safe From FBI
Judge Gary Klausner admits that the FBI probably hid their true motives in rifling through the contents of hundreds of safe deposit boxes, but says that's fine.
Texas Residents Sue After Police Allegedly Hold Them at Gunpoint and Break Man's Dialysis Port
The lawsuit says police in Rosenberg, Texas, have a history of excessive force and unlawful searches, especially against those with medical vulnerabilities.
Incoming New York Mayor Makes Vague Case for the 'Proper' Kind of Stop-and-Frisk
Eric Adams thinks he can give the police more power to hunt for guns without making innocent minority men the inevitable target.
Get a Warrant, Supreme Court Tells Cops Who Seized Guns From Home Without Due Process
Plus: On SATs and bias, what changed when Texas lifted its mask mandate, and more...
Judge to FBI: You Should've Gotten a Warrant Before Turning On That Phone
Plus: Virginia decriminalizes marijuana, it's not Trump's call whether we close the country again, and more…
10 Ways a Roadside Police Stop Can Go Wrong
What could happen—and what to do about it—if you get pulled over by the cops
Contempt for Renters Leads to Second-Class Search and Seizure Protections
Signing a lease instead of a deed shouldn’t erase your right to be free of government home invasions.
Australian Police Willing To Leer At As Many Naked Teen Bodies As It Takes To Stop Drug Overdoses
Sexually scarring children with unnecessary strip searches to prevent them from committing misdemeanors
If You're Near the Scene of a Crime, Authorities Can Demand That Google Hand Over Your Data
Quiet fishing expeditions are being used to sort through potential suspects.
Supreme Court Allows Warrantless Blood Draws of Unconscious Drivers
SCOTUS says it is constitutional for police to draw blood from unconscious drunk driving suspects.
Incensed by Warrantless Border Searches of Americans' Tech Devices? These Senators Have the Cure.
Ron Wyden and Rand Paul team up to stop Border Patrol from snooping in your stuff without good reason.
A School Counselor Says Customs Agents Searched Her Genitals Without Cause
Tameika Lovell says the search violated her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.
A Florida Man Arrested for Pot Is in Jail Until He Lets Deputies Search His Phones
Police say there's evidence. His lawyer says it's a fishing expedition.
Supreme Court Punts on Data Privacy Case, Thanks to the Terrible CLOUD Act
Lawmakers passed a bill requiring American firms to comply with warrants for data stored overseas, ending a legal fight.
Can the 'Automobile Exception' Run Over the Fourth Amendment?
Justices hear challenge to Virginia court's expansion of warrantless vehicle searches.
Mississippi's Jump-Out Boys
The police punish people for living in a bad neighborhood.
