Supreme Court to review lobster tracker lawsuit
A Maine lobsterman's challenge to GPS tracking requirements heads to the nation's highest court.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
FILE - Lobster boats sit at their moorings in Jonesport, Maine, April 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files) (Robert F. Bukaty, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Photograph: WKMG (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Supreme Court will decide by the end of September whether to hear a case concerning a federal requirement for GPS trackers on lobster boats.
- Maine lobsterman Frank Thompson sued, arguing the tracking requirement constitutes an unreasonable search and seizure, a claim previously denied by a federal appeals court.
- The rule, implemented in 2023, mandates GPS trackers for federally permitted lobstermen to comply with U.S. data collection efforts.
- The case could have significant implications for the American commercial fishing industry, which relies on data for sustainability and regulation.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 17 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
70/100
Hype
20/100
17 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 14 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to determine by the end of September whether it will hear a legal challenge to a federal mandate requiring electronic tracking devices on lobster boats. The case was brought by Maine lobsterman Frank Thompson, who argues that the monitoring requirement constitutes an unreasonable search and seizure. A federal appeals court rejected his claim last year.
The requirement for GPS trackers on all federally permitted lobster boats was introduced in 2023 as part of a new U.S. rule focused on data collection. Thompson filed a lawsuit against the head of his state's marine resources department, seeking to keep his fishing license. The Supreme Court's decision on whether to hear the case could have wide-ranging consequences for the commercial fishing industry across the United States.
Thompson's lead attorney, Matt Gilliam, stated that the petition questions whether Maine can compel lobstermen to use government GPS trackers on their private vessels, even when not actively fishing. He expressed hope that the court would grant review to address this Fourth Amendment issue. Authorities contend that the monitoring program is vital for understanding the lobster population, which appears to be declining in New England, and for mitigating economic harm to the industry. Conservation groups support the monitoring, viewing it as essential for protecting the broader ocean ecosystem and for fishery managers to respond to complex issues.
In the past year, fishermen in Maine caught over 78 million pounds (35.4 million kilograms) of crustaceans. This figure represents a significant decrease from a decade ago, when catches regularly exceeded 120 million pounds (54.4 million kilograms) annually.
Disagreement on the purpose of data collection
While authorities state the lobster boat monitoring program is important to improve understanding of the crustacean's population and to mitigate economic harm, as reported by WKMG and Click on Detroit, conservation groups argue that the data is urgently needed to respond to complex issues facing the ocean, according to WKMG and Click on Detroit. Erica Fuller, senior counsel with Conservation Law Foundation, is quoted by WKMG and Click on Detroit stating that efforts to overturn a federal appeals court ruling do not change the fact that the lobster population has declined and fishery managers need detailed data.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mention the specific date in September that the Supreme Court is set to review the claim, which is stated as September 28 in the full reports from WKMG and Click on Detroit.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 10 times, most recently on 14 Sept 2026, 20:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on the Supreme Court's decision to review the lobsterman's challenge to the GPS tracking requirement. Both Associated Press News and The Independent highlighted that the case could have broad consequences for the American commercial fishing industry. They noted that the Supreme Court will decide this month whether to hear the challenge to the rule requiring electronic tracking devices on boats.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports focused on the Supreme Court's impending decision regarding the lobster fisherman's challenge to the GPS boat tracker requirement. Multiple outlets, including WKMG, Click on Detroit, WBAL, WSLS, The Record, and Winnipeg Free Press, reported that the Supreme Court will decide later this month whether to hear the case. They detailed that Maine lobsterman Frank Thompson filed a federal lawsuit over the requirement to install a GPS tracker on his boat to maintain his fishing license. The reports noted that the state implemented the requirement in 2023 to comply with a new U.S. rule for data collection, and that Thompson's assertion of unreasonable search and seizure was denied by a federal appeals court. Several reports included quotes from Thompson's attorney, Matt Gilliam, and from Erica Fuller of the Conservation Law Foundation, as well as information on the decline in lobster catches.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Supreme Court to review lobster tracker lawsuit?
- Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 17. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Supreme Court to review lobster tracker lawsuit left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 14 rated outlets on this story, 50% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Supreme Court to review lobster tracker lawsuit biased?
- Supreme Court to review lobster tracker lawsuit is one event reported by 17 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Supreme Court to review lobster tracker lawsuit?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Supreme Court to review lobster tracker lawsuit?
- 17 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the Supreme Court being asked to decide?
- The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear a legal challenge brought by a Maine lobsterman against a federal requirement for GPS trackers on fishing boats. This decision could impact the broader commercial fishing industry.
- Why is the lobsterman challenging the GPS tracker requirement?
- The lobsterman, Frank Thompson, argues that the mandatory GPS monitoring constitutes an unreasonable search and seizure, violating his Fourth Amendment rights. He filed a lawsuit to keep his fishing license.
- When was the GPS tracker requirement implemented?
- The state of Maine required all federally permitted lobstermen to install GPS trackers in 2023. This was done to comply with a new U.S. rule aimed at collecting data on fishing activities.
Read it at the source
17 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens Bangor Daily News in a new tab)
Bangor Daily News — is Bangor Daily News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Court to decide whether to hear lobsterman’s challenge to boat tracker requirement (opens ABC News in a new tab)
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
7- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement – WTOP News (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens My Mother Lode in a new tab)
My Mother Lode — is My Mother Lode biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens WFMZ in a new tab)
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens WSLS in a new tab)
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens Click on Detroit in a new tab)
Click on Detroit — is Click on Detroit biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
3- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens Loonie Politics in a new tab)
Loonie Politics — is Loonie Politics biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman's challe (opens WBAL in a new tab)
- Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement (opens KXL in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
