© Carlo Allegri / Reuters
Tech giant Apple will reportedly argue that the judge in their dispute with the FBI has infringed on the company's First Amendment rights, an Apple lawyer told Los Angeles Times reporters. They said courts have previously recognized that writing computer code is a form of speech protected by the Constitution. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has so far refused to follow an order requiring the company to unlock the iPhone used by a gunman in the San Bernardino attack and has argued that doing so would set a “dangerous precedent.” Apple will object to the use of the 18th-century All Writs Act as the legal basis of the order, which compels the company to assist the FBI. The All Writs Act is seen as a sweeping legal tool that often is used to allow judges to issue orders when other means are not available.