NAPOLITANO: APPLE IS PATRIOTIC

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Apple doubles down, calls for FBI order to be dropped

Judge Andrew Napolitano weighs in on 'Fox & Friends'

If Apple doesn’t listen to a court order to assist the FBI, should it be charged with treason?  This morning on FOX & Friends, Fox News’ senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano weighed in.

“Apple's behavior is the opposite of treason. It's patriotism.” He argued consumers flock to brands like Apple because the security measures are trusted, but “once that paradigm is broken, forget about it.  Nothing will be private. Nothing will be sacred. The people who want to cause us harm who are very adept at using the internet. …They're rooting for the FBI. They want this stuff exposed so that they can tap into it.”

A federal judge ordered Apple to hack into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters which has been locked since the attack in December.  Apple refused. CEO Tim Cook released statement concluding, “While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.”

The White House has suggested a compromise with the tech giant, telling a federal judge it would let Apple maintain ownership and possession of the ‘backdoor’ needed to break into the phone.

As for the end of the battle, Judge Napolitano has one prediction: “I think this will go all the way to the Supreme Court, and I think Apple has the stronger argument.  There is simply no authority for the courts to force Apple to work for the government.”

To stay updated on the story as it develops, tune in to FOX & Friends starting at 6 a.m. every morning.