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Court Rules Against Maricopa County Wiretapping

Cassondra Strande
/
Cronkite News

A court panel has ruled that the wiretapping practices of some Arizona prosecutors violated federal law.

The Arizona Republic reports the tribunal found that Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery did not personally review and approve electronic-surveillance warrant like U.S. law requires. Instead, judges say it was Montgomery's subordinates who approved the applications.

The decision is in response to a civil lawsuit by a woman who claims her privacy was breached when law enforcement officers recorded her conversations during a 2012 narcotics investigation. According to the report, the woman was not subject of the investigation and had no criminal charge.

Montgomery says in a written statement that he reads "each affidavit provided by law enforcement in support of a wiretapping application". He will "most likely" appeal.

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