The debates about searches of cell phone data seems endless, as this case further indicates.   Excerpts from the Article: The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a case hinging on how much reach police have when they want to search data extracted from a cellphone in the course of investigating a crime separate from the incident that led to the data’s extraction in the first place. In June 2016, George Burch was questioned by...

Though some may say current laws are sufficient, they are fuzzy in this area, and measures like this one clarify the issue. Excerpts from the Article: Michigan voters have approved Proposal 2, which amends the Michigan Constitution to protect electronic data and communications in the same way the law protects your home and papers from unsreasonable search and seizure. You can track the results below: Michigan voters will see two statewide...

This is all wrong and very dangerous to our freedoms!       Government watchdog organizations are reporting that multiple government agencies employed high-tech surveillance aircraft over cities with demonstrations over the police killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. On June 2, thousands of protestors took to the streets in major cities across the U.S. to call for an end to police brutality. In response, cities such as...

The Court notes the difference between a vehicle search and the search of a person. Also, the odor of pot alone is not probable cause for a search in the 33 states that have legalized pot.   Excerpts from the Article: The Court of Appeals of Maryland held that the odor of marijuana emanating from a person alone does not provide police with probable cause to support an arrest and warrantless search incident to the arrest. Rasherd Lewis was...

Though it is not clear whether the officers here were trying to conduct a “sneaky” search – one they knew to be unlawful – this decision is correct, and because the search was not valid, the evidence had to be disregarded – suppressed. Excerpts from the Article: The Supreme Court of Wisconsin held that the Court of Appeals erred when it affirmed the denial of a suppression motion because officers were not acting in...