R is for Riley

Riley v. California
[June 25, 2014, unanimous decision 9-0]

David Riley was a gang member in San Diego.  He and others opened fire on a rival gang member, then sped away.  Several days later, he was stopped for having expired registration and an expired license.  The car was towed and searched, and the police found guns which were later tied to the shooting.  When Riley was arrested, the police took his cell phone, searched it, and found photos of Riley and others making gang signs.

The Supreme Court decided unanimously that police need a warrant to search a suspect’s cellphone.  The search which accompanies an arrest is performed for officer safety and the preservation of evidence [including weapons and other contraband].  The cell phone can be removed but its contents cannot be searched without a warrant describing exactly what is on the phone that is implicated in the crime.  Chief Justice John Roberts wrote: “Modern cell phones, as a category, implicate privacy concerns far beyond those implicated by the search of a cigarette pack, a wallet, or a purse.”

"Digital data stored on a cell phone cannot itself be used as a weapon to harm an arresting officer or to effectuate the arrestee's escape. Law enforcement officers remain free to examine the physical aspects of a phone to ensure that it will not be used as a weapon - say, to determine whether there is a razor blade hidden between the phone and its case. Once an officer has secured a phone and eliminated any potential physical threats, however, data on the phone can endanger no one."

Did you guess right?
Here's Saturday's hint - S is for Suicide.  Can you guess the case and what it's about?  Leave a comment!