californiasupremecourt
Latest
CA court ruling could upend gig economy giants like Uber, Lyft
A recent California Supreme Court decision (PDF) could give Uber and Lyft drivers (as well as other gig workers) fighting to be classified as employees a huge boost. In a case against package and document delivery company Dynamex Operations West, the court has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs -- drivers seeking employment status who sued the company way back in 2005. According to the state's highest court, companies that want to classify their workers as independent contractors have to prove that those workers are running their own business.
California Supreme Court says warrantless searches of suspects' text messages are legal
Planning on getting arrested in California any time soon? You'd better make sure your text archives are free from any incriminating information as the state's Supreme Court has now ruled it legal for police to check your missives folder without the need for a warrant. The justification for this privacy intrusion is that a phone search is "incidental" to a lawful arrest and its contents, much like the contents of your pockets or bags, fall within the realm of reasonable search. Two of the judges in the case did dissent, with one noting that "never before has it been possible to carry so much personal or business information in one's pocket or purse," which she argues should afford your iPhone, Droid or BB a higher level of privacy protection than, say, the packet of gummy bears you have in the other pocket. What do you think?
