Case v. Montana

On January 14, 2026, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in Case v. Montana, a landmark digital privacy lawsuit. Plaintiff Alex Case challenged state law enforcement's warrantless access to data from his smart home devices, including biometric logs and voice recordings, collected during a burglary investigation. The State argued the data was held by a third-party vendor, thus lacking a reasonable expectation of privacy. The Montana Supreme Court unanimously rejected this argument, holding that the state constitution's explicit right to privacy protects deeply personal digital information from warrantless seizure. The court established that individuals retain a privacy interest in the comprehensive data profiles generated by their in-home technology, marking a significant departure from federal third-party doctrine precedents.

The Montana Supreme Court ruled in favor of Alex Case, holding that the warrantless search of his smart home data violated the Montana Constitution. The evidence obtained was deemed inadmissible, and the court mandated that law enforcement must obtain a warrant based on probable cause before accessing similar personal digital data.

The central dispute was whether the Montana Constitution's right to privacy protects sensitive digital data generated by smart home devices from warrantless law enforcement access, or if such data falls under the third-party doctrine, which generally denies a reasonable expectation of privacy for information voluntarily shared with a service provider.

The ruling sent shockwaves through the tech industry and law enforcement nationwide. It established Montana as a leader in digital privacy rights, influencing legislative proposals in other states and prompting smart device companies to revise their data-sharing policies. Privacy advocates hailed it as a crucial adaptation of constitutional protections for the modern, interconnected home.