In a novel decision, a federal appeals court has ruled that a Kentucky school administrator's search of text messages on a student's cellphone was unreasonable and violated the student's rights under the Fourth Amendment.
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, ruled 2-1 on the legality of the cellphone search. It ruled unanimously that the student was denied due process when the district expelled him without a hearing for repeated disciplinary infractions.