Tea Party Alliance and ACLU back Minnesota amendment to protect email from warrantless searches
A proposal to amend Minnesota’s constitution to protect emails and texts from warrantless searches has met some resistance in the state senate.
State lawmakers must approve the proposal before it is put before voters in November, report the Minnesota Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Among those supporting the measure at a news conference on Monday were representatives from American Civil Liberties Union, the Minnesota Tea Party Alliance and Occupy Minnesota.
The proposal would add the phrase “electronic communications and data” to state constitutional provisions protecting persons, houses, papers and effects from unreasonable searches and seizures.
State Judiciary Committee Chairman Ron Latz has blocked a hearing on the proposal in his committee, saying court decisions already support warrants for electronic data.
Missouri became the first state in the nation to amend its constitution to protect electronic data when 75 percent of voters approved the change in August.
