State v. Earls

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: New Jersey Supreme Court
Decided: July 18, 2013
Citation: 214 N.J. 564 (2013)
Topics: Cell-Site Location Data (Phone Location Records)Search & Seizure (Fourth Amendment)

What did the court decide?

The New Jersey Supreme Court held that under the New Jersey Constitution, police must generally get a warrant before obtaining cell-phone location information from a service provider.

Why does it matter?

Another example of a state court protecting phone location data under its own state constitution.

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.