‘Tower dump’ warrants ruled unconstitutional

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Trending on The Hill - August 6, 2026

Trending on The Hill - August 6, 2026

A federal judge in Mississippi ruled on Wednesday that so-called “tower dump” warrants are unconstitutional, declining to reverse a lower court decision refusing the government’s request to obtain the search warrants in a series of violent crime investigations.   

A “tower dump” involves cell phone companies providing law enforcement with access to the time and location data of all mobile devices connected to specific cell towers during a designated time window.

Law enforcement had sought approval for several of these search warrants as part of criminal investigations into gang-related activity in the Jackson, Miss., area last year, arguing the data could help identify all those potentially involved, particularly in incidents with unknown suspects.

A magistrate judge denied the applications, holding that “tower dumps” are........

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