EPIC, Restore the Fourth File Amicus Brief in Chatrie v. United States Urging the Fourth Circuit to Rule Geofence Warrant Unconstitutional
EPIC and Restore the Fourth submitted an amicus brief to the Fourth Circuit in Chatrie v. United States, arguing that the geofence warrant used in the case violated the Fourth Amendment because it lacked particularized probable cause, amounting to a general warrant.
Why this matters: Geofence warrants let police vacuum up location data on everyone near a crime scene, then sort through it to find a suspect. That is the opposite of how the Fourth Amendment is supposed to work. The Chatrie case gives the Fourth Circuit a direct chance to say so. A ruling here could set limits on a tool that law enforcement uses routinely, often against people who had nothing to do with anything. The outcome matters to anyone who carries a phone.
Who should care: Lawyers · Compliance · Privacy officers · Cybersecurity
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