The Supreme Court heard arguments on April 27, 2026, in a case that will determine whether police can use "geofence warrants." A geofence warrant is a court order that tells a company like Google to reveal location data for every device in a specific place during a specific time — say, all phones near a bank robbery during the hour it happened. A ruling is expected by late June or early July 2026.

Here's how these warrants work in practice. When police don't know who committed a crime, they ask a judge to order a tech company to hand over location data from everyone in the area. Police say this helps them narrow down suspects. But civil rights groups say it sweeps up innocent people too — someone who was just shopping nearby could be caught in the dragnet.

The Constitutional Question

The Fourth Amendment protects Americans from unreasonable searches. It says a warrant must be specific: it has to say exactly what is being searched for and who is being targeted. The question in this case is whether a geofence warrant is specific enough. These warrants don't name a suspect — they just say "everyone in this location at this time." Critics argue that's too broad; it's the kind of blanket search the Constitution was meant to stop.

One side says geofence warrants should be banned entirely. The other side, including some legal scholars, says they can be allowed as long as they're narrow enough — for instance, a small area and a short time window.

Why This Case Matters

Google and other tech companies filed statements in the case because they're the ones holding the location data. Google has a stake in what rules the Court sets. Privacy groups also weighed in, pointing out that these warrants can capture people doing sensitive things — attending protests, visiting doctors, going to religious services — without those people ever knowing they're part of a police investigation.

The Court has been thinking about location data privacy since a 2018 case called Carpenter v. United States, where it decided that long-term cell phone location data deserves protection under the Fourth Amendment, even when a company is holding it. This new case asks a related question: Do these concerns go even further? Should geofence warrants be limited or banned altogether?

What Happens Next

Police have used geofence warrants thousands of times, including in cases connected to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. If the Court bans them, law enforcement loses a tool it has relied on, and some old convictions might be challenged. If the Court allows them but sets new rules, courts will have to decide case by case whether each warrant was specific enough.

The Court could also take the middle ground: rule only on this particular case and leave the bigger question for later. That would mean more lawsuits about geofence warrants down the road.

A decision is coming before the Court finishes its work in summer 2026.