Jurisprudence
July 01, 202610:00 AM
Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images.
This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court. Keep up with all of our Supreme Court coverage and analysis by signing up for weekly email roundups. The best way to support our work—and unlock exclusive legal analysis—is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!)
The Supreme Court struck a huge blow on Monday in favor of privacy in the digital age. When the police want private information from your smartphone, we now know that’s a search within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. And, to conduct that search, the police are going to need to prove probable cause that a crime occurred and that you were involved in it. And, they’re going to need a reasonably specific warrant describing what’s going to be searched. And, a judge is going to have to approve every step in that search process.
