Golden Gate Legal Review publishes commentary and analysis on the constitutional and statutory questions moving through the federal courts and the California legislature — privacy and the Fourth Amendment, housing, criminal justice, immigration, labor, and the law of emerging technology. The Review offers analysis, not legal advice.
The first geofence-warrant case to reach the Supreme Court was decided on June 29, 2026: acquiring a person's Google location data is a Fourth Amendment search, the Court held, leaving the warrant's reasonableness for the Fourth Circuit on remand.
A geofence warrant searches a crowd to find a suspect, inverting probable cause and particularity. How Carpenter, the Chatrie circuit split, and the Supreme Court's June 2026 decision settle whether the acquisition is a search — and what the Court left open.
| Case / Bill Reference | Subject | Status | Last Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatrie v. United States (No. 25-112)U.S. Supreme Court · Argued Apr 27, 2026 | Privacy | DECIDED | 06.29.26 |
| Cal. AB 1157 (Affordable Rent Act)Cal. Assembly · Judiciary Cmte | Housing | FAILED — DIED IN COMMITTEE | 01.31.26 |
| Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act (H.R. 4639)U.S. Congress · H.R. 4639 (118th) | Privacy | PASSED HOUSE 2024 · REINTRODUCED 2026 | 04.17.24 |
Recent
Commentary
US Judge Halts Administration’s Migrant Fine Policy
On Monday, October 5, 2026, a US District Judge in Boston issued a ruling that temporarily halts the Trump administration’s controversial policy of imposing substantial fines on migrants…
High Court Allows Third-Country Deportations to Resume
The Supreme Court delivered a significant, albeit interim, ruling this past week concerning the Trump administration’s immigration policies, specifically greenlighting the resumption of third-country deportations. This decision, reported…
Supreme Court Declines Emergency Mail-In Ballot Appeal
The Supreme Court recently declined an emergency petition from the Trump administration seeking to allow the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to implement heightened mail-in ballot requirements. This action,…
SCOTUS Clarifies Federal Historic Preservation Mandates
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a significant decision this week in National Park Service v. National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, addressing the scope of…