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White House calls for warrantless searches of suspects' cellphones
The Obama administration is urging the Supreme Court to allow for warrantless cellphone searches of arrested suspects, calling upon the court to resolve a nearly six-year-old case. In a petition filed last week, the White House disputed an appeals court ruling, which determined that police should be required to obtain a search warrant before accessing the contents of a suspect's phone.
The case in question stems from the 2007 arrest of a Massachusetts man suspected of selling crack cocaine. Upon his arrest, police took his cellphone and searched his call history without obtaining a warrant. That led them to his house, where they found drugs, money, and guns, and ultimately led to his conviction.