American judge agrees with Apple in case to unlock iPhone suspect

An American judge has ruled in favor of Apple in a case where the justice system wanted access to a locked iPhone. This is a different case than the previous one in which Apple refused to cooperate.

In this case, it concerns a case in New York, in which the judiciary wanted access to the iPhone of a drug dealer, reports business newspaper The Wall Street Journal. Most importantly, the judge said the government can’t just order Apple to unlock an iPhone based on an old law.

Legislators at the time could not foresee the implications for now, the judge reasoned in his ruling, which The Intercept put online. “It would betray our constitutional heritage and our people’s claim to democratic rule for a judge to pretend that the founders of the United States already had this debate and ended it in 1789.”

The matter came to the fore when Apple with an open letter refused to comply with a court order to unlock the iPhone 5c belonging to a suspect in a shooting in the US city of San Bernardino.

It is the first time that a judge has ruled against the use of this old law to unlock smartphones. While it’s a sign that not every judge feels the same on this issue, it’s not the end of this case. It is likely that the Supreme Court, the highest court in the US, will eventually rule on this case.