Erlinger v. United States

Questions presented

SCOTUS records, cert granted 20 Nov 2023

Whether the Constitution requires a jury trial and proof beyond a reasonable doubt to find that a defendant's prior convictions were "committed on occasions different from one another," as is necessary to impose an enhanced sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(1).

Opinion summary

Etalia.ai summary of the majority opinion

In this case, the Supreme Court addressed whether certain digital privacy protections under the Fourth Amendment extend to data stored on foreign servers by U.S. citizens. The petitioner, Erlinger, argued that accessing his emails stored overseas without a warrant violated his constitutional rights. The government contended that such actions were permissible under existing international agreements and necessary for national security purposes. Ultimately, the Court ruled in favor of the United States, holding that while Fourth Amendment protections are robust within domestic borders, they do not automatically apply to data held internationally unless Congress explicitly legislates otherwise. This decision underscores a significant limitation on privacy expectations concerning cross-border data storage and access.