The issue focused on legislation introduced by Attorney General Eric Holder that required federal agents to obtain a warrant before accessing medical records or financial data held by banks and credit reporting agencies. In addition, law enforcement officials could only collect medical information if they obtained a court order after obtaining the patient's consent. The attorney general argued that medical privacy laws didn't prohibit government surveillance of patients who gave their consent for medical treatment.

Under federal law, courts must approve medical monitoring orders unless there is "substantial cause" that such