A SCOTUS Case Exposes the Dangers of 2 Misguided Fourth Amendment Doctrines
The Supreme Court is examining the implications of geofence warrants in relation to Fourth Amendment rights. This case highlights the tension between modern technology and privacy expectations, particularly regarding location data shared with third parties. Legal arguments suggest that broad geofence searches may violate constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.
- ▪Police in Virginia used a geofence warrant to identify a bank robber by accessing location data from Google.
- ▪The Supreme Court is considering whether such warrants violate Fourth Amendment rights due to their broad nature.
- ▪Chatrie's lawyers argue that the warrant's scope infringes on privacy expectations, while the government claims no expectation of privacy exists when sharing data with third parties.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Fourth Amendment A SCOTUS Case Exposes the Dangers of 2 Misguided Fourth Amendment Doctrines "Geofence" searches illustrate the perilous combination of modern technology and deference to law enforcement. Jacob Sullum | 4.29.2026 12:01 AM Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google Media Contact & Reprint Requests <img src="https://d2eehagpk5cl65.cloudfront.net/img/c800x450-w800-q80/uploads/2026/04/cellphone-location-tracking-800x450.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" width="1200" height="675" title="A person holds a cellphone displaying a request for permission to track the phone's location" alt="A person holds a cellphone displaying a request for permission to track the phone's location | Envato" />…
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