The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether police warrants obtaining broad cellphone location data are lawful under the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Key Takeaways
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday about whether police warrants obtaining broad cellphone location data violate the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
- Okello Chatrie was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison for an armed robbery after investigators used a geofence warrant to obtain his location data from Google.
- The lower court ruled that law enforcement's warrant did not fit the Fourth Amendment context of a 'search.'
- Justices questioned whether the government could use this method to find out the identities of people at specific locations, such as churches or political organizations.
- Chatrie argued that geofence warrants amount to an overly broad search that exposes mass amounts of private information to the government.
According to UPI, the case stems from an armed robbery in Midlothian, Va., on May 20, 2019. Investigators obtained a geofence warrant allowing them to collect data about cellphone users near the crime scene from Google.
The data identified Okello Chatrie as the prime suspect and led to his conviction for armed robbery and brandishing a firearm. He was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison but appealed, arguing that the geofence warrant violated his constitutional rights.
As reported by Reuters, during Monday's oral arguments, Chief Justice John Roberts questioned what would prevent the government from using this method to find out the identities of people at specific locations. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito appeared to side with law enforcement, emphasizing that Chatrie had voluntarily activated his location data.
The case highlights tensions between an 18th-century constitutional provision and digital-age technology transforming how crime is investigated. The Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of June.
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