The Minnesota Supreme Court decided this week that the privacy protections of the Fourth Amendment do not extend to your outdoor garbage can. "It is not reasonable to expect the contents of garbage bags placed on the side of a public street for collection to remain private," wrote Justice Wilhelmina Wright in the majority opinion (PDF).
Dissenting Justice David Lillehaug disagreed: "One who examines garbage carefully can learn about the household members’ physical and mental health, sexual activities, financial status, consumer preferences, political affiliations, and personal relationships." Lillehaug argued that because modern life does not permit private garbage disposal on one's own land, Minnesotans should have a reasonable expectation of privacy until their garbage ends up in the anonymity of the dump.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Why deepfakes of dead loved ones are big business in ChinaUnder The Radar AI-generated avatars of deceased 'builds on China's long cultural history of communicating with the dead'
-
Today's political cartoons - May 12, 2024Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - tips for Mom, worm regards, and more
-
5 brain-busting cartoons about RFK Jr.Cartoons Artists take on candidate suitability, the Kennedy family, and more
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescueSpeed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in MoroccoSpeed Read
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female presidentSpeed Read
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. saysSpeed Read
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprisingSpeed Read
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
