California high court to rule on social media access

The California Supreme Court will decide whether Facebook and other social media companies must turn over user content to criminal defendants.

The justices are expected to rule today in a case that has pitted some of Silicon Valley's biggest companies against public defenders.

At issue are requests by a defendant charged with murder in San Francisco for videos and other content posted to Facebook and Instagram by the victim and a witness. Lee Sullivan and a co-defendant also sought information from Twitter.

The defendants say their constitutional right to a fair trial entitles them to the material to prepare their case.

Attorneys for the companies say a federal privacy law prevents the release of user content, and the defendants have other ways to get the material.