Defendant Omar Cruz-Zamora filed a motion to suppress evidence obtained during a search of his vehicle, arguing that his 4th Amendment rights were violated because he didn’t knowingly consent to the search. A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper stopped Cruz’s vehicle due to a suspended registration. Because Cruz-Zamoa spoke limited English, the trooper utilized Google Translate to question the defendant, including when he asked Cruz-Zamora if he could search the vehicle. Cruz-Zamora allegedly responded affirmatively, but the hearing revealed that there was confusion about the translation and whether Cruz-Zamora understood the question. The Court found that Cruz-Zamora didn’t unequivocally consent to the search since he was confused by the translations provided by Google Translate, and therefore the search was unconstitutional. The court granted Cruz-Zamora’s motion.The government argued that the good-faith exception should apply since the trooper reasonably relied on Google Translate. The court rejected that argument, stating that it isn’t reasonable for an officer to rely on Google Translate to obtain consent for a warrantless search.
