SEARCH OF CELL PHONES – LANDMARK SUPREME COURT DECISION (14-11)

QUESTION: After arresting a suspect, can law enforcement search the suspect’s cell phone incident to arrest without first obtaining a search warrant?

ANSWER NO! On June 25, 2014, in a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court in Riley v. California, 573 U.S. _______ (2014), unanimously held that the search incident to arrest exception does not extend to a cell phone and that the warrantless search of digital contents of a cell phone during an arrest is unconstitutional.

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