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   From: obama@hillaryclinton.com   
      
   (Adds reaction from Los Angeles City Attorney and hotel   
   operators, paragraphs 6-8)   
      
   By Lawrence Hurley   
      
   (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a Los   
   Angeles ordinance that lets police view hotel guest registries   
   without a warrant violates the privacy rights of business   
   owners, taking away what the city called a vital tool to fight   
   prostitution and other crimes.   
      
   In a 5-4 decision, the justices upheld an appeals court ruling   
   that struck down the ordinance, saying it infringed upon hotel   
   operators' rights under the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment   
   protections against unlawful searches and seizures.   
      
   More than 100 other jurisdictions across the United States have   
   similar laws that could be affected by the court's ruling,   
   according to the city's lawyers.   
      
   The ordinance requires hotel and motel operators to collect a   
   detailed list of information on each guest, including name and   
   address, car model, license plate number and method of payment.   
      
   The records are available for inspection by the police   
   department at any time, without a warrant.   
      
   Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said the bulk of the law,   
   including a recordkeeping requirement, remains in place.   
      
   "We believe we can craft an ordinance, consistent with the   
   Supreme Court's decision, which enables the city to renew our   
   efforts to combat human trafficking and other crimes associated   
   with these motels," Feuer added.   
      
   Tom Goldstein, a lawyer for the motel operators, said the ruling   
   "recognized that the city could achieve its interests without   
   sacrificing privacy."   
      
   Los Angeles appealed after the San Francisco-based 9th U.S.   
   Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the ordinance in December   
   2013.   
      
   The city called the law crucial to efforts to reduce criminal   
   activity, especially in so-called parking meter motels that   
   charge by the hour and are often used for prostitution and other   
   crimes.   
      
   Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the court, noted that hotel   
   operators can be arrested on the spot if they refuse to give   
   police access to their records. As such, the law could be used   
   "as a pretext to harass hotel operators and their guests,"   
   Sotomayor wrote.   
      
   The court's four liberals were joined in the ruling by Anthony   
   Kennedy, a conservative who often casts the decisive vote in   
   close cases.   
      
   Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a dissenting opinion saying the   
   ruling would hamper law enforcement efforts.   
      
   "Criminals, who depend on the anonymity that motels offer, will   
   balk when confronted with a motel's demand that they produce   
   identification. And a motel's evasion of the recordkeeping   
   requirement fosters crime," Scalia wrote.   
      
   Sotomayor said police will still be able to make surprise   
   inspections by getting a warrant or when an officer suspects the   
   hotel operator might tamper with the registry.   
      
   The case is City of Los Angeles v. Patel, U.S. Supreme Court,   
   No. 13-1175. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will   
   Dunham)   
      
   http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/06/22/usa-court-privacy-   
   idINL1N0Z80TA20150622   
      
   Fuck the lazy bastards.  Put them on the street and make them do   
   real police work.   
       
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)