Date

5-2025

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Humanities & Communication

Major

Legal Studies

First Advisor

Estella Porras

Abstract

This project analyzes the procedural history of Fourth Amendment doctrine in the Supreme Court. This timeline begins with the 1928 case of Olmstead v. United States and proceeds with recent cases that resolve more modern concerns such as location tracking via cell-cite information, as seen in Carpenter v. United States (2018). Prevalent cases are analyzed through both majority and dissenting opinions to demonstrate the entire Courts’ attitude towards the interpretation. Though more recently the Court has moved towards expanding the expectation of privacy that one can assume from the Fourth Amendment, digital privacy has yet to be incorporated. The research conducted offers examples of government surveillance using technology and the level of sensitive information obtainable through third party sites such as social media. Ultimately, this shows the government's current ability to obtain sensitive information without repercussion in the modern digital age. This project aims to demonstrate the continued advancement of technology and the new demand to acknowledge digital privacy as a protected space.

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