Anonymous phone tips from someone claiming personal knowledge of a recent crime can be enough for police to conduct a car stop, the Court of Appeals ruled in a 5-2 decision that civil rights attorneys say chips away at New Yorkers’ civil rights.

Attorneys from the New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Aid Society called the decision "depressing," “surprising” and “extremely troubling,” particularly because it allows police to justify use of anonymous tips by the “totality” of a situation, adopting the less clear and looser federal standard for evaluating whether and how police can act on those tips.

Daniel Lambright, the NYCLU’s special counsel for criminal justice litigation, said the ruling is a blow to Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

“Courts c

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