Judge upholds search of passengers’ laptops

[unhappycamper]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/judge-upholds-search-of-passengers-laptops/2013/12/31/f5b39022-726a-11e3-8b3f-b1666705ca3b_story.html

Judge upholds search of passengers’ laptops
By Ellen Nakashima, Published: December 31

A federal judge in New York on Tuesday upheld a government policy that permits officers at U.S. borders to inspect and copy the contents of travelers’ laptops and other devices without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman dismissed a lawsuit by a university student and a group of criminal defense lawyers and press photographers challenging regulations adopted by the Department of Homeland Security that allow searches of passengers’ electronic equipment at the nation’s borders, including at airports and on trains.

The plaintiffs, who were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, allege that the policy violates their rights to privacy and free speech.

Korma, a judge in the Eastern District of New York, said that the policy permits searches with or without suspicion, and cited case law that held that “searches at our borders without probable cause and without a warrant are nonetheless ‘reasonable.’”

[COLGATE4]

1. The finding that "searches at our borders

without probable cause and without a warrant are reasonable" is in accord with long-settled case law. This decision isn't surprising. Borders have long been an exception to the general legal requirements for search and seizure.