Searching Phones And Computers Not Warranted

In California, it was ruled that a suspect's phone could be inspected and searched without a warrant.  This is dangerous ground, as it opens up the possibility of laptops and other devices for search, and without giving police the requirement of giving cause, or following procedure associated with searching private property.

Jonathan Turley, a Constitutional law expert at George Washington University, took to his blog to raise his concerns about the ruling.

"The Court has left the Fourth Amendment in tatters and this ruling is the natural extension of that trend," he wrote. "While the Framers wanted to require warrants for searches and seizures, the Court now allows the vast majority of searches and seizures to occur without warrants. As a result, the California Supreme Court would allow police to open cell phone files — the modern equivalent of letter and personal messages.”

Enough is enough.  We need people in office who will protect our civil liberties.  Frankly, I'm not as afraid of terrorists as I am the government and the people under its protection. The war on terror is starting to look more and more like an excuse to circumvent those pesky protections our forefathers put into place.  I never in a million years thought a few years would crumble centuries of due process and accountability.