Michigan Passes Warrant Requirement for Electronic Data Searches

Michigan voters approved a state constitutional amendment that will require state and local law enforcement officers to get a warrant before searching through suspects’ electronic data.

The vote will make Michigan the 13th state to include privacy protections in its constitution, and the third state to do so via ballot measure following Missouri in 2014 and New Hampshire in 2018, according to a National Conference of State Legislatures analysis.

“The federal courts have been pretty slow to keep up with emerging technology, especially surveillance technology,” said Merissa Kovach, policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. This ...