Code of Criminal Procedure · U.S. Supreme Court, 2014

Riley v. California

Riley v. California is a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision. This page summarizes key points and works through practice questions for Texas peace officer exam preparation.

Key points

  • Cell phone seized incident to arrest
  • Warrant generally required to search digital contents
  • Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.0215

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Worked examples

Worked example 1

Cell phone data on a phone seized incident to arrest:

  1. May be searched without a warrant under search-incident-to-arrest doctrine
  2. Generally requires a warrant — Riley v. California Correct
  3. May be searched by any officer present
  4. May be searched if turned off
Why: Riley held that police generally must secure a warrant before searching the digital contents of a cell phone seized incident to arrest. The Texas analog (CCP art. 18.0215) reinforces this.
Statute: Riley v. California, 573 U.S. 373 (2014)