Maine Revised Statutes

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 16, § 642 (2026)

Authority to obtain and disclose content information held by a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section ME-LEGlegislature.maine.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
1.  Authority to obtain.  A government entity may obtain electronic device content information directly from a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service only in accordance with a valid search warrant issued by a duly authorized justice, judge or justice of the peace using procedures established pursuant to Title 15, section 55 or 56 or as otherwise provided in this subchapter.  
[PL 2023, c. 499, §7 (AMD).]
2.  Authority to disclose.  A provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service may disclose electronic device content information to a government entity only pursuant to a warrant issued by a duly authorized justice, judge or justice of the peace or as otherwise provided in this subchapter.  
[PL 2023, c. 499, §7 (AMD).]
3.  Exception; legally protected health care activity.  Notwithstanding any provision of state law to the contrary and except as required by federal law, a justice, judge or justice of the peace may not issue a search warrant permitting a government entity to obtain electronic device content information directly from a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service that relates to an investigation into legally protected health care activity or aiding and assisting legally protected health care activity. For purposes of this subsection, "aiding and assisting legally protected health care activity" and "legally protected health care activity" have the same meanings as in Title 14, section 9002, subsection 1 and 8, respectively.  
[PL 2023, c. 648, Pt. C, §2 (NEW).]
Revisor's Note: §642. Warrant needed for acquisition of location information (As enacted by PL 2013, c. 409, §1 is REALLOCATED TO TITLE 16, SECTION 648)
SECTION HISTORY
RR 2013, c. 1, §29 (RAL). PL 2013, c. 402, §1 (NEW). PL 2013, c. 409, §1 (NEW). PL 2013, c. 519, §5 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 144, §4 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 499, §7 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 648, Pt. C, §2 (AMD).
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases, 2015–2019 · leading case: State of Maine v. Michael J. Warner II, 2019 ME 140 (Me. 2019).
State of Maine v. Michael J. Warner II, 2019 ME 140 (Me. 2019). · cites it 3× “116-39 ), and 16 M.R.S. §§ 642(1) and 648 (2015),3 in accordance with 15 M.”
State of Maine v. Steven W. Bragdon, 2015 ME 87 (Me. 2015). “, 16 M.R.S. § 642(1) (2014) (“A government entity may obtain portable electronic device content information directly from a provider of electronic communication service only in accordance with a valid warrant issued by a duly authorized justice, judge or justice of the peace.”
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 16, § 642(1) — 2 cases
State of Maine v. Michael J. Warner II, 2019 ME 140 (Me. 2019). “116-39 ), and 16 M.R.S. §§ 642(1) and 648 (2015),3 in accordance with 15 M.”
State of Maine v. Steven W. Bragdon, 2015 ME 87 (Me. 2015). “, 16 M.R.S. § 642(1) (2014) (“A government entity may obtain portable electronic device content information directly from a provider of electronic communication service only in accordance with a valid warrant issued by a duly authorized justice, judge or justice of the peace.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.