{"id":1077,"date":"2012-08-14T06:23:38","date_gmt":"2012-08-14T14:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/?p=1077"},"modified":"2025-09-17T10:55:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:55:05","slug":"appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/","title":{"rendered":"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive"},"content":{"rendered":"

In January 2012, the Supreme Court ruled<\/a> in a landmark United States v. Jones<\/em> case that attaching a GPS tracking device to a vehicle without a search warrant was considered an unlawful search and seizure.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled differently in the United States v. Pineda-Moreno<\/a> case relating to warrantless GPS tracking of a vehicle. In the case, a three-judge panel upheld the criminal conviction in a case involving a suspected marijuana grower, who had his vehicle tracked by a GPS tracking device without first being issued a search warrant. Specifically, information gathered by law enforcement agents using a GPS tracking device prior to the Supreme Court’s January 2012 ruling necessitating the use of a warrant was deemed legal as evidence in the Pineda-Moreno case.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case, law enforcement officials attached a GPS tracking device to the suspect’s — Mr. Pineda-Morena’s — vehicle. The device was placed on Pineda-Moreno’s Jeep in 2007, after he was suspected of growing marijuana. The law enforcement agents did not obtain a warrant prior to attaching the GPS tracker device. (The tracking of Pineda-Moreno’s vehicle happened before the Supreme Court issued its ruling that GPS tracking devices triggered Fourth Amendment protections — and therefore required a warrant.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Using tracking information, the Drug Enforcement Administration stopped Pineda-Moreno, and took him into its custody for violations of immigration. Later, at Pineda-Moreno’s home, two large garbage bags full of marijuana were found. As a result, Pineda-Moreno was sentenced to a 51-month prison term, with five years of probation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to note what the court did not do. It did not rule on whether, going forward, the government needs a warrant based on probable cause to attach a GPS device to a car. Given the privacy-invasive nature of location tracking, a warrant is the constitutionally-required minimum. This decision also does not affect defendants in other parts of the country whose cases are outside the Ninth Circuit\u2019s jurisdiction. Nevertheless, it\u2019s crucial that Americans\u2019 privacy is maintained in the face of ever more powerful government surveillance tools\u201d, wrote Catherine Crump, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).<\/span><\/p>\n

Even so, other defendants who were tracked with a GPS tracking device prior to the Supreme Court issuing its decision in the United States v. Jones<\/em> case, and are in the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit, may see the same ruling in their cases as a result of this United States v. Pineda-Moreno ruling.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In January 2012, the Supreme Court ruled in a landmark United States v. Jones case that attaching a GPS tracking device to a vehicle without a search warrant was considered an unlawful search and seizure. However, last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled differently in the United States v. Pineda-Moreno […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_description":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-applications"],"yoast_head":"\nUS Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@http:\/\/latracker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LaTracker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"George Karonis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"George Karonis\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13\"},\"headline\":\"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-08-14T14:23:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-17T17:55:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":431,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Applications\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/\",\"name\":\"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-08-14T14:23:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-17T17:55:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"LiveViewGPS Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Live View GPS Tracking Blog\",\"description\":\"GPS Tracking For The World\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"LiveViewGPS\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1\",\"width\":1737,\"height\":572,\"caption\":\"LiveViewGPS\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/LiveViewGPS\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/LaTracker\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/liveviewgps\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/liveviewgps1\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13\",\"name\":\"George Karonis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"George Karonis\"},\"description\":\"George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/liveviewgps\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/liveviewgps\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/http:\\\/\\\/latracker\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/liveviewgps1\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/george\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive","description":"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive","twitter_description":"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.","twitter_creator":"@http:\/\/latracker","twitter_site":"@LaTracker","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"George Karonis","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/"},"author":{"name":"George Karonis","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13"},"headline":"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive","datePublished":"2012-08-14T14:23:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-17T17:55:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/"},"wordCount":431,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Applications"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/","url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/","name":"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-08-14T14:23:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-17T17:55:05+00:00","description":"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/appeals-court-rules-gps-tracking-search-warrant-ruling-retroactive\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"LiveViewGPS Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"US Appeals Court Rules GPS Tracking Search Warrant Ruling Not Retroactive"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/","name":"Live View GPS Tracking Blog","description":"GPS Tracking For The World","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"LiveViewGPS","url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1","width":1737,"height":572,"caption":"LiveViewGPS"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LiveViewGPS","https:\/\/x.com\/LaTracker","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/liveviewgps","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/liveviewgps1"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13","name":"George Karonis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"George Karonis"},"description":"George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveviewgps","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/liveviewgps","https:\/\/x.com\/http:\/\/latracker","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/liveviewgps1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/author\/george\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcnFZ-hn","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1077"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8416,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077\/revisions\/8416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}