Supreme Court limits police right to search cell phones

Last week, the Supreme Court justices agreed to review two lower court decisions that came to different conclusions about the privacy of cellphone data. (Justin Lane / EPA / )

The on Wednesday ruled that police officers usually need a warrant before they can search an arrested suspect's cellphone.

The court said on a 9-0 vote that the right of police to search an arrested suspect at the scene without a warrant does not extend in most circumstances to data held on a cell phone.

Because technologically sophisticated phones may hold huge amounts of personal data, they may not be searched without a warrant from a magistrate, the justices said.

Reuters and the Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.