Maine lobsterman keeps fighting GPS tracking mandate after Supreme Court declines case
Frank Thompson, a fifth-generation Maine lobsterman, argues that a federally required GPS device on his boat amounts to constant government surveillance and violates the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court declined to hear his challenge, leaving in place a First Circuit ruling that upheld the tracking rule because lobstering is a closely regulated industry. Thompson says he is not giving up and believes the case could affect other industries facing similar monitoring requirements.
Frank Thompson is a fifth-generation lobsterman based in Vinalhaven, Maine, and co-owns Fox Island Lobster Company with his wife and two sons. His challenge concerned a tracking device required on licensed lobster boats.
Under the rule, the unit records a vessel’s position every minute while underway and every six hours at dock, according to Maine’s marine agency. Thompson says it also logs personal trips. The Supreme Court declined his petition, leaving a First Circuit decision that treated lobstering as a closely regulated field.
The outcome may affect not only Maine lobstermen but workers in other regulated sectors where location monitoring is imposed. Because courts left the closely regulated industry framework intact, agencies could cite it when defending similar tracking rules, while workers may face reduced practical ability to challenge such surveillance under the Fourth Amendment. The case could also shape public debate over privacy and government monitoring, though its immediate legal effect remains limited to the parties and circuit.