Stopped, searched, recorded.
Your rights during police encounters, explained simply: what to do when you’re pulled over at a traffic stop, searched, questioned, or arrested — plus when you can legally record police and refuse a search. Know the rules before you ever need them.
Can police search your phone?
Generally not without a warrant or your consent — even if you’re arrested. What Riley v. California means for the device that holds your whole life.
Read the answer →Does federal law supersede state law?
Yes in true conflicts — but states can protect you more than federal law does. The one idea that decodes weed, wages, and why your rights change at state lines.
Read the answer →Riley v. California: the case that protected your phone
The 9–0 Supreme Court decision behind your digital privacy — the facts, the ruling, and why it matters every time an officer asks for your phone.
Read the breakdown →What are your rights during a traffic stop?
What you have to do, what you can refuse, and the phrases that protect you — being written now.
Can you record the police?
Your First Amendment right to film, its limits, and the smart way to do it — being written now.
Can schools search your backpack?
Police aren’t the only ones who search — schools play by different rules. The two-part test every school search must pass.
Read the answer →Have a question about your rights?
Ask it — the best questions become full articles on this site.