The New Jersey Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in July that police must obtain warrants to access information on a crime suspect's cellphone location puts the balance between protecting citizens' safety and their privacy front and center.

New Jersey is the first state to go that far in favor of privacy. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in State v. Earls, A-53-11, "No one buys a cell phone to share detailed information about their whereabouts with the police."