Judge dismisses lobstermen’s challenge to law requiring tracking devices on boats

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 22, 2024

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by five Maine lobstermen who alleged that the state’s rule requiring tracking devices on their boats was in violation of their rights against unreasonable search and seizure. Although the judge dismissed the suit against the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, he encouraged the lobstermen to appeal the decision because it raises “significant Fourth Amendment issues.”