People v. Diaz

People v. Diaz was a 2011 decision by the California Supreme Court which held that there is no requirement for the police to obtain a warrant to search information contained within a cell phone upon lawful arrest.

Background
In a sting operation conducted by local police, the defendant, Gregory Diaz, was arrested for the sale of the illicit drug ecstasy and his cell phone, containing incriminating evidence, was seized and searched without a warrant. In trial court proceedings, Diaz motioned to suppress the information obtained from his cell phone.

Result
Diaz's appeal was denied on the grounds that the search of his cell phone was incident to a lawful arrest. The California Court of Appeal affirmed the court's decision, a ruling which was later affirmed by the California Supreme Court.