Conflicting Court Opinions on NSA Surveillance

One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the case of Amnesty International v. Clapper and… few people cared.obama-shepard-fairey-nsa-prism-1

After all, “Clapper I,” as it became known, held that political activists had no standing to even discover if the government was spying on them.

But four months later, the floodgates opened with the Snowden disclosures that everyone was under mass surveillance.

This article, from the February 2014 Palm Beach Bar Bulletin, explains the basic origin of the NSA’s bulk telephony surveillance as well as the two conflicting court opinions in ACLU v. Clapper (“Clapper II”) and Klayman v. Obama (“Klayman I”).

4th Amendment
Florida Police Can (1) Search Your Car After Smelling Marijuana and (2) Cut a Hole in Your Underwear to Find Drugs (Jevin Hilliard v. Florida)

Florida drivers (and those in the car) should be aware that it is fairly well-settled that police have probable cause to search a car and occupants during a traffic stop based on “the faint odor of cannabis.” But how far can the search go? We find out in Jevin Hilliard …

4th Amendment
When Can You Withdraw Consent for a DUI Blood Draw in Florida? (Florida v. Jennifer Ivie)

A Florida driver was involved in an accident, taken to the hospital, and interviewed by police who were conducting a DUI investigation. The officer spoke with the driver, advised her of her Miranda rights, conducted at least one visual test, and otherwise detected signs of intoxication. The officer asked the …

4th Amendment
Can A State Search Cellphone of Person on Probation Without Warrant or Probable Cause? (Florida v. Mark Leroy Phillips, Sr.)

Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal considered the question whether, under the Fourth Amendment, the State of Florida could search the cellphone of a man on probation for child abuse convictions (and who was a registered sex offender) when there was no warrant or reasonable suspicion. The court, in Florida …