Santa Clara County judge dismisses state privacy lawsuit over San Jose's ALPR network

Event: October 2, 2026 · First reported: October 6, 2026 · 14 sources

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey El-Hajj dismissed a lawsuit challenging San Jose's practice of letting police search data from its automated license plate reader network — more than 500 devices citywide — without a warrant. The suit, filed in November 2025 on behalf of SIREN and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, argued the searches violate the California Constitution's privacy and unreasonable-search protections. El-Hajj cited a 2024 California 4th District Court of Appeal decision involving San Diego streetlight cameras and rejected the argument that the volume of cameras makes the system substantially more invasive. Plaintiffs said they are weighing an appeal, and a separate federal case over the city's ALPR system remains pending.

Why this matters

The ruling applies an existing California appellate holding — that drivers lack a reasonable expectation of privacy on public streets — to a dense, networked ALPR system, a question other jurisdictions are also litigating. It leaves limits on San Jose's program to be set by council policy rather than court order.

Key facts

Ruling issued Friday by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey El-Hajj; suit was filed in November 2025.
San Jose's network includes more than 500 ALPR devices; plaintiffs had asked the court to require warrants before searches.
Plaintiffs SIREN and CAIR are represented by civil liberties groups; EFF surveillance litigation director Andrew Crocker said the ruling is wrong on the law and all options are open.
City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood said the dismissal shows the system meets constitutional scrutiny and captures only what is visible from public rights-of-way.
Police Chief Paul Joseph disclosed last month that an officer was fired in April for allegedly sharing location data with a cousin; the council cut data retention from one year to 30 days in March and has proposed further safeguards.

Timeline

October 6, 2026Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case
October 6, 2026Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case
October 13, 2026As Federal Court Rules ALPRs are Mass Surveillance, EFF Gets Disappointing Ruling

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (Wink News, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (The Businessjournal, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (Terre Haute Tribune-Star, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (The Hamilton Spectator, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (Newsday, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (The Standard, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (The Star, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (Winnipeg Free Press, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (San José Spotlight, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (Wtop News, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (Mymotherlode.com - The Mother Lode's Local News, S, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (The Record, October 6, 2026)
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case (Ottumwa Courier, October 6, 2026)
As Federal Court Rules ALPRs are Mass Surveillance, EFF Gets Disappointing Ruling (Electronic Frontier Foundation, October 13, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated October 19, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.