Christopher L. Carpenter, Petitioner v. State of Florida, Respondent

Summary

The court quashed the First District’s decision and held that the good-faith exception did not prevent suppression of evidence obtained from Carpenter’s warrantless cell-phone search. The officers relied on an intermediate appellate decision that was nonfinal, certified for review, and addressed a rapidly developing area of law, rather than on longstanding and settled precedent. The court held that suppression would provide deterrence by requiring officers confronting unsettled search-and-seizure questions to obtain a warrant. Lawson, J., dissenting, would have applied the good-faith exception because the officers relied on binding appellate precedent.