U.S. judges would be able to issue search warrants giving law enforcement agents power to access computers in any jurisdiction — potentially even overseas — under a controversial rule change likely to be approved by the Supreme Court by Sunday.
Magistrate judges can normally only order searches within the jurisdiction of their court, which is typically limited to a few counties.
The U.S. Justice Department, which is pushing for the rule change, has described it as a procedural change needed to modernize the criminal code for the digital age, and has said it would not permit searches or seizures that are not already legal.
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