In a major civil liberties test in the digital age, the US Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police must obtain a warrant before searching the cell phone of a suspect. Mobile phones deserve the same protection against "unreasonable searches and seizures" enshrined in the US constitution's Fourth Amendment as other personal property, such as homes, the top US court said. The court, in two cases involving criminal suspects whose mobile handsets were searched by police, weighed the interest of law enforcement in finding important evidence against the civil liberties guaranteed in the constitution. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, said that the principles of America's "Founding Fathers" still apply in the 21st century.



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