Commonwealth v. Augustine
A plain-English summary from Criminal Defense Resources™, a free resource for pro per/pro se defendants and their families.
General educational information, not legal advice. Not a law firm. This page describes what a court decided in general terms. It does not tell you what to do in any case.
- Decided
- Citation
- 467 Mass. 230 (2014)
What did the court decide?
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that under the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, the government must get a search warrant based on probable cause before obtaining two weeks of a person's historical cell-site location information from a phone company.
Why does it matter?
State constitutions can give more privacy protection than the federal Constitution. This decision required a warrant years before the U.S. Supreme Court's Carpenter decision.
Where can I read the full opinion?
Read the full opinion on CourtListener →
Always read the full opinion and check whether later cases have limited or changed it. A summary can leave out important details.
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General educational information, not legal advice. Not a law firm.