Supreme Court rules that broad cell phone location data sweeps require warrants

Supreme CourtSupreme Court rules that broad cell phone location data sweeps require warrantsThe case involving a Virginia bank robbery is the latest example of the justices wrestling with how to apply constitutional protections to new technology.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00"Geo-fence warrants" allow law enforcement to get broad cell location data, even without a suspect in mind.Vanessa Leroy / NBC News; Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 29, 2026, 12:59 PM EDTBy Lawrence HurleyWASHINGTON — In a ruling applying individual constitutional protections to new technology, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that sweeping use of cell phone location data requires a warrant.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The case focused on a Virginia bank robbery, where a conviction rested in part on cell phone location information law enforcement received from Google through a so-called geofence warrant. These allow law enforcement to obtain data showing cell phone users who were in the vicinity of a crime scene, even if they are not targeting a specific suspect.The court, divided 6-3, found that broad geofence surveillance constitutes a search under the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.The court rejected the Trump administration’s argument that no warrant is required at all. The majority affirmed that, at a minimum, law enforcement must get a court to sign off on a geofence warrant but did not rule on the underlying warrant in the Virginia case.The court ruled narrowly in favor of Okello Chatrie, who was convicted of robbing the Midlothian, Virginia, branch of the Call Federal Credit Union in May 2019. The robber was seen holding a cell phone when he entered the bank. After brandishing a gun, he left with $195,000 in cash.Chatrie was linked to the crime after police officers, with a judicially-approved warrant, obtain...