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A 13-year-old's phone was searched at school without a warrant and with a police officer standing right there. Evidence from the search was used to criminally charge the teen. The Fourth Circuit said this was fine. We think the Supreme Court should say otherwise. 🧵

Riley wasn't just about arrests. The Court’s rationale means lower courts must re-examine every warrant exception when a cellphone is involved. Old rules made for wallets and glove boxes don't automatically apply to searches of the devices that hold your texts, photos, and location history.

Schools have their own exception: T.L.O. (1985) lets administrators search students and their belongings without a warrant if the search is reasonable and tied to school discipline. This makes sense for backpacks and lockers.

But courts keep applying T.L.O. to cellphones like nothing has changed since 1985—often without even mentioning Riley.