Cell phone location privacy
Carpenter v. United States
In brief
The Supreme Court overturned the Sixth Circuit’s judgment and sent Carpenter’s case back for more proceedings.
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided 5-4 · June 22, 2018 · Opinion by Chief Justice Roberts
- What it’s about
- The FBI obtained historical cellphone records showing Timothy Carpenter’s location without a warrant, raising the question whether that violated the Fourth Amendment.
- Who it affects
- Carpenter’s case returned to the lower court, and its final outcome remained unresolved after the Supreme Court’s action.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The Supreme Court overturned the Sixth Circuit’s judgment and sent the case back to the lower court (remanded).
The case raised a Fourth Amendment question about accessing cellphone location records.
Question presented
Whether the warrantless seizure and search of historical cell phone records revealing?
What the Court decided
Holding
Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Roberts, C. J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, JJ., joined. Kennedy, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Thomas and Alito, JJ., joined. Thomas, J., filed a dissenting opinion. Alito, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Thomas, J., joined. Gorsuch, J., filed a dissenting opinion.
- Result
- Reversed
The vote
- Joined the judgment
- Dissented
- Wrote an opinion
What's next
The case returns to the Sixth Circuit for further proceedings.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
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Opinion added: Carpenter
Opinion added: opinion
Brief added: Questions Presented
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.