Forced Smartphone Entry Poses Constitutional Question in Indiana

The Indiana Supreme Court will consider when the government can compel a person to unlock a smartphone as part of an investigation.

The state’s highest court is set to hear oral argument April 18 in Seo v. State, a case that tugs at the tension between constitutional and privacy rights and law enforcement’s investigatory needs. An appeals court, reversing a lower court, ruled that a contempt order forcing Katelin Seo to unlock her phone would violate her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Courts around the country have split on the question of when compelling someone to enter their passcode ...