NYC judge rules FBI can’t force Apple to unlock iPhone

Apple Vs The FBI update!

A federal judge in the Eastern District of New York ruled Monday that the Department of Justice cannot force Apple to unlock a phone for the FBI.

While the ruling is for a different case than the one regarding the iPhone used by one of the gunmen in the San Bernadino shootings, it may have bearing on it.

It was from a Brooklyn drug case, and it rejects the government’s argument that the All Writs Act, a law from 1789, can be used to force Apple to help access a suspect’s iPhone. The FBI are also using the All Writs Act to compel Apple to unlock the San Bernadino gunman’s phone in the upcoming case.
From the Sauce, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein:

“I conclude that under the circumstances of this case, the government has failed to establish either that the AWA permits the relief it seeks or that, even if such an order is authorized, the discretionary factors I must consider weigh in favor of granting the motion.”

Apple will go to court on May 22nd.