Digital Commons Network^™

Narrowly Restricting "Clearly Established" Civil Liberties: The Constitutional Ramifications Of A Family Member's [Under] Protected Federal Privacy Rights In The Dissemination Of Postmortem Images In Marsh V. County Of San Diego, Mahira Siddiqui

Golden Gate University Law Review

In Marsh, the Ninth Circuit held that a prosecutor who photocopied and kept a child's autopsy photograph (and after retirement gave the copy to the press) was entitled to qualified immunity. The court reasoned that there was no "clearly established" law to inform the prosecutor that his earlier conduct in making and keeping the photocopy was unlawful. In so holding, the Ninth Circuit relied on American Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Co. v. Sullivan, which held that a plaintiff must prove that he or she was "deprived of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States."' Moreover, …

"Reasonable Suspicion Plus": A Framework To Address Chief Judge Alex Kozinski's Concerns Of Mass Surveillance Without Compromising Police Effectiveness, Tyler R. Smith

Golden Gate University Law Review

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) provide law enforcement with a powerful tool to covertly investigate criminal networks. These networks, however, are often themselves technologically sophisticatedand thus able to elude police surveillance. GPS monitoring has drawn substantial criticism recently as police, in many jurisdictions, may utilize the technology without a search warrant; the issue has boiled down to whether the Fourth Amendment requires a search warrant in the first place.

This Comment argues that the Supreme Court should establish a new rule, “Reasonable Suspicion Plus,” that would require police to state in a sworn declaration particularized reasoning for use of a GPS …

United States V. Pineda-Moreno, Tracking Down Individuals' Reasonable Expectation Of Privacy In The Information Age, Caitlin Emmett

Golden Gate University Law Review

In Pineda-Moreno, the Ninth Circuit held that prolonged police monitoring of a defendant’s precise location through the use of GPS transmitters did not constitute a search. In so holding, the Ninth Circuit relied on the Supreme Court decision in United States v. Knotts. Knotts held that “[a] person traveling in an automobile on public thoroughfares has no reasonable expectation of privacy in his movements from one place to another.” Prior to the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Pineda-Moreno, most federal appellate courts interpreted Knotts to hold that location tracking outside the home is analogous to physical surveillance and …

The Extension Of Privacy Rights To Workplace Text Messages Under Quon V. Arch Wireless, Heather Wolnick

Golden Gate University Law Review

In Quon v. Arch Wireless Operating Co., a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that a public employer violated the Fourth Amendment by searching the contents of text messages sent and received on a public employee's work-issued pager. In so holding, the Ninth Circuit found that the public employee had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of the text messages, despite a formal Internet and computer policy stating otherwise. Relying on the two-part O'Connor test for public-employer searches, the court found that the search was more intrusive than necessary to determine …

An Integrative Alternative For America's Privacy Torts, Robert M. Connallon

Golden Gate University Law Review

Rugg and Smith encapsulate a transition between two approaches to tort protection of privacy. Rugg reflects the unitary-tort theory, which recognizes a single tort and seeks only to determine if the plaintiff's interest in privacy has been breached by the defendant's behavior. Smith reflects the multiple-tort approach that recognizes four torts, encompassing four ways in which privacy is breached, that have in common only an interference with a loosely defined understanding of privacy. This understanding of the privacy tort was lifted from the Restatement (Second) of Torts (1977), which adopted a construct first proffered by Dean William Prosser in a …

To Download Or Not To Download: Is Mere Membership Enough To Justify A Search Of A Home Computer For Child Pornography Under United States V. Gourde?, Erin Frazor

Golden Gate University Law Review

In the nine to two decision by the en banc Ninth Circuit panel in United States v. Gourde, the court ruled that probable cause existed to search the defendant's home computer based in part on his two-month subscription to a website that offered child pornography. The majority opinion sought to conform to Supreme Court precedent in its probable cause analysis, while the dissenting opinions expressed great concern about the door being opened to this type of governmental invasion of privacy. Gourde has sparked reactions by commentators regarding the implications of the decision, and has influenced the analysis of subsequent child …

United States V. Thomas: Ninth Circuit Misunder-"Standing": Why Permission To Drive Should Not Be Necessary To Create An Expectation Of Privacy In A Rental Car, Matthew M. Shafae

Golden Gate University Law Review

This Note argues that the proper inquiry for determining whether a defendant has a legitimate expectation of privacy in a rental vehicle when that defendant is the unauthorized driver of a rental car is the totality-of-the-circumstances test, not the permission test adopted by the Ninth Circuit. A test requiring permission is unsupported by Supreme Court precedent and will yield inconsistent results when applied. Part I provides a brief historical background for challenges to Fourth Amendment searches. Part II sets forth the background and analysis of the opinion in focus, United States v. Thomas. Part III evaluates the court's analysis in …

An Unreasonable Online Search: How A Sheriffs Webcams Strengthened Fourth Amendment Privacy Rights Of Pretrial Detainees, Ian Wood

Golden Gate University Law Review

This Note will discuss how courts approach pretrial detainees' claims of punishment, exploring both Fourteenth Amendment Due Process claims and privacy rights under the Fourth Amendment. It will go on to discuss Demery's implications for Fourth Amendment privacy rights of pretrial detainees. Part I explores the protections pretrial detainees are afforded under the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause." Part l.A discusses the general differences between pretrial detainees and convicted prisoners. Part I.B considers two Supreme Court cases - Bell v. Wolfish and Block v. Rutherford - that address the standards used in evaluating punishment claims in a pretrial detention context …

Technology - Konop V. Hawaiian Airlines, Inc., Patricia Defonte

Golden Gate University Law Review

In Konop v. Hawaiian Airlines Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the unauthorized access of the content of a secure website is a violation of the Wiretap Act and the Stored Communications Act. This is the first case to determine whether unauthorized accessing of a secure private website is a violation of the Wiretap Act. This decision is contrary to an earlier decision by the Fifth Circuit in United. States v. Turk, which held that the Wiretap Act required contemporaneous transmission and acquisition of the communication. The Ninth Circuit concluded that the scope …

American Academy Of Pediatrics V. Lungren: California's Parental Consent To Abortion Statute And The Right To Privacy, Michael Grimm

Golden Gate University Law Review

This comment will discuss the background right to privacy jurisprudence, examine the grounds under which the court of appeal decided the case, and review appellants' and respondents' arguments. Based upon the opposing parties' arguments and controlling precedent, the author will explain why the California Supreme Court should affirm the court of appeal's decision.

Constitutional Law - International Brotherhood Of Teamsters, V. Department Of Transportation: The Fourth Amendment, Another Victim Of The War On Drugs, Judith S. Rosen

Golden Gate University Law Review

No abstract provided.