Low
Court ruling
Decided
New York · Oct 15, 2026
Southern District of New York denies government motion to dismiss lawsuit over Trump admin social media surveillance of noncitizens
A federal district court rejected the government’s arguments that immigration law bars the case and that the unions lack standing, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The court found that the surveillance program causes concrete injuries…
Immigration and Nationality Act
Low
Lawsuit filed
Filed
Wisconsin · Oct 14, 2026
EFF and ACLU file petition to Wisconsin Supreme Court seeking warrant for ALPR database searches
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU of Wisconsin have filed a petition with the Wisconsin Supreme Court asking the court to require a warrant for retrospective searches of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) databases. The…
Low
Court ruling
Decided
United States (federal) · Oct 14, 2026
Court allows lawsuit against government surveillance program "Catch and Revoke" to proceed
A court issued a ruling permitting the EFF‑led lawsuit challenging the "Catch and Revoke" mass surveillance program to move forward. The program is alleged to use AI to suppress protected speech online. The decision is viewed as a win for…
Low
Court ruling
Dismissed
California · Oct 13, 2026
California trial court dismisses SIREN v. San Jose challenge to warrantless ALPR searches
A California trial court dismissed SIREN v. San Jose, a case brought by EFF and the ACLU challenging the city’s warrantless searches of automated license plate reader data. The court held that drivers have no reasonable expectation of…
California Constitution
Moderate
Court ruling
Decided
United States (federal) · Oct 13, 2026
Bernstein v. DOJ ruling holds encryption code is protected speech
The podcast notes that the 1995 case Bernstein v. Department of Justice held that code is speech protected by the First Amendment. This precedent underpins modern internet privacy and encryption. The case was brought by Dan Bernstein with…
CPPA · California Delete Act
