Apple Inc. formally objected to a federal judge's order telling the tech giant to help the FBI hack into an iPhone left behind by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The news comes after Apple spent hours Tuesday trying to have lawmakers help resolve its ever-growing dispute with the U.S. government.
The new objection comes after Apple already filed a lengthy 65-page response in which it called upon the court to vacate the order and detailed an assortment of reasons why the company believed the order shouldn't have been granted.
The new filing, which was filed in "abundance of caution," is much shorter, coming in at only two pages. However, Apple is using the filing to declare that it formally objects to the order while referencing reasons already listed in its earlier response.
"In an abundance of caution, to the extent Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 59, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72, and/or Local Civil Rule 72-2.1 are applicable in this case, Apple Inc. ("Apple"), by and through its counsel of record, hereby formally objects to the Court's February 16, 2016 Order Compelling Apple Inc. to Assist Agents in Search (ED No. 15-451M, Dkt. 19) for the reasons set forth in Apple's Motion to Vacate Order Compelling Apple Inc. to Assist Agents in Search, and Opposition to Government's Motion to Compel Assistance (ED No. CM 16-10-SP, Dkt. 16)," the filing reads.
The new Apple filing comes several weeks after U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym ordered the California-based company to help the FBI bypass the passcode security features on an iPhone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook who, along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and injured 22 others in San Bernardino, Calif., Dec. 2.
It also comes three weeks before federal prosecutors and Apple attorneys will be able to argue their case in person before Pym herself.
In addition to its formal objection, today Apple filed to Pym a copy of the ruling made by a federal judge presiding over a seperate drug case in Brooklyn, N.Y. In the 50-page ruling, Judge James Orenstein determined that the Justice Department lacks the legal authority to force Apple to break into an iPhone seized as part of the investigation.
The ongoing legal battle between Apple and the FBI has millions on the edge of their seats, with various influential figures coming out of the woodwork in support of one side or the other. With what's at stake, many believe it is only a matter of time before it ends up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
