Iowa College Athletes’ Geolocation Lawsuit Dismissed on Qualified Immunity Grounds

By Bridget Rachek, of Tulane Sports Law On November 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger dismissed the federal lawsuit of Iowa College Athletes versus the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). Judge Ebinger held that although the investigators’ warrantless geolocation search was unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment, the defendants were entitled to qualified immunity because the right at issue was not clearly established at the t