Washington Examiner
September 7, 2018
New technology offers new modes of government surveillance. Today, the collection of telephone metadata, thermal imaging, and GPS tracking, among others, are all real threats to the privacy of American citizens. Given that the applications of these capabilities as a governmental tool for monitoring citizens have already come before the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, if confirmed, will likely make similar decisions. Americans who value their privacy and civil liberties should study his paper trail on Fourth Amendment cases. What they will find is a troubling record that points to a judge who is likely to side with vague justifications of security over liberty.
The Fourth Amendment broadly guarantees that Americans should be free from government intrusion in their homes and private lives and that infringements on these rights must come with the justification of a warrant or probable cause. These guarantees and protections form the basis of property protections and a right to privacy both of which are fundamental to individual liberty.