US border agents must get warrant before cell phone searches, federal court rules

A federal district court in New York ruled that U.S. border agents must obtain a warrant to search travelers' electronic devices at ports of entry, relying on Fourth and First Amendment grounds; while the warrantless search in the Sultanov case was deemed unconstitutional, the court applied the good-faith exception and declined to suppress the evidence, and the decision—applicable in the Eastern District of New York—may be appealed amid CBP review, high volumes of device searches, and continued legislative efforts to limit warrantless border searches.