Supreme Court Roundup: Justices Make Decisions regarding Privacy and Public Safety; Religious Accommodation in Public Facilities

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To withdraw such a minimum expectation of privacy against unreasonable searches would permit "police technology to erode the privacy" guaranteed by the Constitution, Justice Antonin Scalia said.

Two Supreme Court decisions handed down last week could have an impact on some city operations. In a privacy and technology case, the high court struck down the use of a thermal imaging device by law enforcement without a search warrant. The other decision requires schools to allow religious groups to use their facilities like other organizations.

Thermal Imaging Search Decision

In an important declaration of constitutional constraints on local law enforcement using new privacy-threatening technology, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the use of a thermal imaging device to detect patterns of heat coming from a private home is a search that requires a search warrant.

The court's 5-4 ruling was a setback for the …