Riley v. California

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.

Court: U.S. Supreme Court
Decided: June 25, 2014
Citation: 573 U.S. 373 (2014)
Topics: Search & Seizure (Fourth Amendment)

What did the court decide?

The Court held that police generally must get a warrant before searching the digital contents of a cell phone taken from a person who has been arrested.

Why does it matter?

Phones hold huge amounts of private information. This case treats a phone search very differently from searching a wallet or pocket.

Where can I read the full opinion?

Read the full opinion on Cornell Law School LII →

Always read the full opinion and check whether later cases have limited or changed it. A summary can leave out important details.

Related rulings

Chatrie v. United States (U.S. Supreme Court, 2026)
United States v. Smith (5th Circuit, 2024)
State v. Mixton (Arizona Supreme Court, 2021)
United States v. Cano (9th Circuit, 2019)

General educational information, not legal advice. Not a law firm.