Federal magistrate judges nationwide, including right here in the District of Columbia, are thwarting law enforcement attempts to gain access to cell phone and personal data. The judges are denying requests for search warrants for such information as overly broad and in direct conflict with the basic rights afforded all United States citizens under the Constitution.
As reported in the Washington Post, in recent months, Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia has denied access to the Facebook page of alleged Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis and the iPhone of the Georgetown University Student accused of making the deadly poison ricin in his dorm room. Magistrate Judge Facciola labeled law enforcement requests for search warrants “repugnant” to the U.S. Constitution.
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