The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether police can view hotel guest registries without a search warrant.
The case centers on a challenge to a Los Angeles city ordinance that gives police access to hotel guest information, a freedom authorities say helps investigate crimes such as prostitution and illegal gambling, and can aid in the pursuit of fugitives.
Several hotel and motel operators are challenging the ordinance, which requires them to gather information on guests such as their name, address, vehicle model and tag number, and how they pay.
Dozens of other municipalities nationwide have similar ordinances.
An appeals court struck down the ordinance last year on the grounds it violated the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which protects against unlawful searches and seizures.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said hotel’s guest information is private property, and “the hotel has the right to exclude others from prying into the contents of its records.”
The high court likely will rule on the case before its current session ends in late June.
