NJ Court Rules Police Geofence Warrants Are Constitutional (1)

New Jersey police use of geofence warrants doesn’t violate constitutional privacy protections and is not an impermissible “general warrant,” a state court ruled Tuesday.

But there are limits on the use of geofence warrants—through which law enforcement demands from wireless company providers the identities of cell phone users in a region at a specific time—the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division ruled in a case of first impression for the state. Specifically, police must to go through a process with providers that requires enough specificity to support probable cause in a warrant.

“The vice of a general warrant is eliminated ...