Carpenter v. United States

585 U.S. 296 · U.S. Supreme Court

Holding and boundaries

Access to historical cell-site location information generally requires a warrant despite third-party possession.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Open authoritative source

7 issue placements

Algorithmic Discrimination & Surveillance

Carpenter v. United States supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Algorithmic Discrimination & Surveillance. Fit tier: Strong analogue. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Algorithmic Public Systems

Carpenter v. United States supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Algorithmic Public Systems. Fit tier: Strong analogue. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Data, AI, Mobility & Gender-Responsive Services

Carpenter v. United States supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Data, AI, Mobility & Gender-Responsive Services. Fit tier: Contextual. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Data & AI Stewardship

Carpenter v. United States supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Data & AI Stewardship. Fit tier: Strong analogue. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Frontier-AI Safety, Evaluation & Model Accountability

Carpenter v. United States supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Frontier-AI Safety, Evaluation & Model Accountability. Fit tier: Contextual. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Transnational Pressure & Digital Safety in Indo-Tibetan Communities

Carpenter v. United States supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Transnational Pressure & Digital Safety in Indo-Tibetan Communities. Fit tier: Strong analogue. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Privacy & Surveillance

Carpenter v. United States supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Privacy & Surveillance. Fit tier: Direct. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: Narrow decision; does not resolve real-time tracking, conventional surveillance, national security or every data type.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Publication and provenance

The authority is published once; issue-specific orientation and fit remain separate placements. Analogue, contextual, and historical-adverse fits are not represented as controlling.

Published under research-publication-clearance-2026-07-21. deterministic validation and objective verification are not claimed.