Supreme Court allows NSA telephone surveillance to continue
By Bill Mears
The U.S. Supreme Court will allow the National Security Agency's surveillance of domestic telephone communication records to continue for now.
The justices without comment Monday rejected an appeal from a privacy rights group, which claimed a secret federal court improperly authorized the government to collect the electronic records.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed its petition directly with the high court, bypassing the usual step of going to the lower federal courts first. Such a move made it much harder for the justices to intervene at this stage, but EPIC officials argued "exceptional ramifications" demanded immediate final judicial review. There was no immediate reaction to the court's order from the public interest group, or from the Justice Department.
Published reports earlier this year indicated the NSA received secret court approval to collect vast amounts of so-called metadata from telecom giant Verizon and leading Internet companies, including Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo and Facebook. The information includes the numbers and location of nearly every phone call to and from the United States in the past five years, but not actual monitoring of the conversations themselves. To do so would require a separate, specifically targeted search warrant.
The revelations on bulk data collection triggered new debate about national security and privacy interests, and about the secretive legal process that sets in motion the government surveillance.
The once-secret approval came in April from a judge at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which handles individual requests for electronic surveillance for "foreign intelligence purposes."
Verizon Business Network Services turned over the metadata to the government.
"Telephone records, even without the content of the calls, can reveal an immense amount of sensitive, private information. There are no reasonable grounds for the NSA to have access to every call record of every Verizon customer," said Marc Rotenberg, president of EPIC.
The Surveillance Court has applied the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act "in a way that is contrary to both the text and purpose of the statute," he said.
This is the first direct challenge to the court order, and EPIC said the Obama administration should have to publicly explain its legal justification for the spying program.
The group also argued restrictions in federal law mean no other state or federal court can review the Surveillance Court's orders except the Supreme Court itself. The group is suing on behalf of itself as a Verizon customer, but also said the justices themselves have a stake in the legal fight.
"Because the NSA sweeps up judicial and congressional communications, it inappropriately arrogates exceptional power to the executive branch," said the petition.
The revelations of the NSA program and the inner workings of the Surveillance Court came after a former agency contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked documents to the Guardian newspaper in Britain. Snowden fled to Hong Kong and then Russia to escape U.S. prosecution, and his supporters say they are working on asylum deals with other countries on his behalf.
The Justice Department urged the high court to stay out of the current fight, called a "mandamus" review.
EPIC's petition "does not meet the stringent requirements for mandamus relief, and this court lacks jurisdiction" to act, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli said in the government's brief, filed last month.
"The mandamus petition does not establish that it is more than speculative that the NSA has reviewed, or might in the future review, records pertaining to petitioner's members, particularly given the stringent, (Surveillance Court)-imposed restrictions that limit access to the database to counterterrorism purposes," the Obama administration added.
The U.S. Supreme Court does not comment on pending cases. The privacy rights group now has the option of going back to the lower courts and starting the legal process anew.
Prior lawsuits against the NSA program have been unsuccessful.
Days after Snowden's disclosure of the NSA program, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in New York federal court. The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation did so in July. And Freedom Watch also filed a separate claim on behalf of Verizon customers. The suits are still pending.
Telecoms themselves were the initial targets of legal action, after the NSA domestic surveillance program was unveiled in 2005. Congress later gave retroactive immunity to those private firms.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court secretly decides whether to grant certain types of government requests, including wiretapping, data analysis, and other monitoring of possible terrorists and spies operating in the United States.
Legal sources say the tiny courtroom and adjacent areas are sealed tightly - ironically given the political debate - to prevent any eavesdropping by outsiders.
Eleven federal judges from around the country serve on the court for seven-year terms. They are appointed by the chief justice of the United States. John Roberts has named all current members, as a well as a three-judge panel to hear appeals of the Surveillance Court's orders, known as the Court of Review.
Because it is an "ex-parte" body - it hears only the government's side - the court has been criticized as a kangaroo court that too easily accedes to any government request.
In order to collect information, the government has to demonstrate that it's "relevant" to an international terrorism investigation. The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Act lays out exactly what the special court must decide:
"A judge considering a petition to modify or set aside a nondisclosure order may grant such petition only if the judge finds that there is no reason to believe that disclosure may endanger the national security of the United States, interfere with a criminal, counterterrorism, or counterintelligence investigation, interfere with diplomatic relations, or endanger the life or physical safety of any person."
Several federal judges who once served on the Surveillance Court refused to discuss their service when contacted by CNN.
The case is In Re Electronic Privacy Information Center (13-58).
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
Of course no we wanted to talk to see and if they're not forced to their not going to .
iI WANT TO KNOW, SINCE THEY ARE COLLECTING THIS INFO CAN OR WILL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR FBI HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE THIS INFORMATION TO FIND CRIMINALS IN SUCH CASES OF KIDNAPPING OR CAPITAL MURDER OR POSSIBLY ANY CLASS ONE FELONY.
I THINK THERE GOING TO LISTEN AND HAVE BEEN LISTENING WHETHER WE WANT THEM TO OR NOT. POSSIBLY THEY CAN EVEN FIND OUT IF OTHER PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED OR MAYBE EVEN PROVOKED IT WHEN SOMEBODY GOES INTO A SCHOOL AND KILLS PEOPLE
NSA BEFORE THEY EVEN BUILT THAT LARGE COMPLEX IN UTAH AND THE OTHER ONES AROUND THE COUNTRY, THEY PLANNED ON LISTENING IN ON EVERY CALL ON EVERY TEXT MESSAGE & EVERY EMAIL.
SO WHAT IF NSA SAYS OKAY WE WON'T DO IT ANYMORE , ARE WE'RE GOING TO BELIEVE THEM ? COME ON, THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY, SO I THINK AS LONG AS THERE WAS A POSITIVE SIDE, LIKE WORKING WITH LAW-ENFORCEMENT WITH CAPITAL CRIMES IT COULD HELP OUR COUNTRY……. YEAH WHO AM I KIDDING THAT'S AN AWFULLY LONG REACH, THEY ARE SO SECRETIVE I DON'T THINK I DONT THINK THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN BUT IT SURE IS A GOOD THOUGHT
Yes, the NSA has already turned over information to the DEA about drug dealings. Sorry friend, the USA we were taught about in school doesn't exist. We live in the USA Police State.
I regret that the heroes of the flight headed for the congress left their seats. Perhaps if the house of representatives had been destroyed our country would be in better shape. The fact is this government does not represent the people. It's rulers are corrupt, partisan and owned by corporate interest. This is not government of the people by the people. It is instead a kleptocracy of the powerful using media to suppress discontent. The inevitable result will be an overthrow of the corruption. The principles of our founding fathers are dead. The revolution has begun.
The best way to hold government accountable is to have neutral parties like the government accountability project. They are at whistleblower.org. I've given $250 and today is Giving Tuesday which means your donation is matched, effectively doubling it. GAP is the one who is protecting the NSA whistleblowers who've been subject to harassment.
NSA surveillance can be bypassed if you have the proper Internet knowledge. I have created an eBook which teaches the users how to protect themselves from the NSA surveillance. You can check the eBook page here http://www.gofundme.com/yeswescan
the military created everything bad
who are the slaves now...
keep calling occupy wall street terorists and 14 year old "nig-rah-s) playing the knockout game nothing at all...
Big Brother...
does the patriot act protect the patriot act...
America is hot garbadge
sensorship is now in full effect.
"supreme" court is a tool a total N-IG-GG-E-R moooove.
A travesty and perversion of justice has occurred.
Thank you, Robert. I was getting ready to post the same thing here!
Are You sick of the NSA COMPLAINING you should be.
ANYONE WHO RUNS FOR OFFICE SHOULD NOT VOTE.
No America should vote.
AMERICA OPINIONS ARE JUST THAT OPINIONS THATS WHAT THE "SUPREME" COURT MANUFACTURES AGAINST THE WILL OF THE "REAL" PEOPLE.
Its called: LAWLESS. The "Supreme" court should have been bulldozed decades ago. No American should go to millitary acadamys.
Very gratifying to learn that common sense prevail and that the right decision was made. Ony people with utopian views of the world and/or with unclear conscience will not like it.
Such is to be expected from someone like you with your obvious limitations, sacrates1947. You sound like another Tea partier. Are you?
Anyone still thinking this is not that bad I suggest reading other sources than mainstream Amerikan media who is doing a sensational job trying to make this about Edward Snowden and not the hijacking of our freedom. I usually read The Guardian, Der Spiegel, RT and Al Jazeera and I find it interesting to see the lack of coverage and tainted viewpoint here as opposed to the rest of the world. They have used the NSA to spy not just on foreign leaders but Obama, congress, and reporters. If you believe that democracy can co-exist with this you are delusional. He who controls the information, controls the the thought process. The Pentagon Papers, Operation Mockingbird, and the false PR campaign that took us into the Gulf War should tell you how propaganda can be used very effectively and has been used many times by our government. Glenn Greenwald who broke the story says there is much more to come on this, WAKE UP AMERICA, or just turn on your tv, read mainstream news and go back to sleep as your masters would like it.
Thank you, mirageseekr. I was about to say the same thing.
Well it's official, America, home of the free, but not so brave, is now a POLICE STATE. Wonder what our founding Fathers would say about this?
They'd say we should respect the branches of government, checks and balances and continue on whether you agree or disagree with the decision because that is what democracy is.
I think that the political parties are too worried about their agendas only and aren't listening to the other side. Both side need to come up with a compromise and need to be more efficient about how they do it so we don't get another shut down. The NSA tapping our phone lines and what not is the least of our concerns. The biggest concern that should be addressed is the current US debt ceiling.
They would tell you to shut up and let them continue to provide safety to you and all in the U.S.
RIP Forth Amendment, you had a good run.
"How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well, certainly, there are those who are more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler (insert most Democrats AND Republicans here). He [they] promised you order, he [they] promised you peace, and all he [they] demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent."
It's funny as a teenager i read a cheesy scifi book and laughed because in it the bill of rights had been suspended and everyone in the US was under surveillance. I read the books and believed americans believed way to much in their freedom and privacy to allow that to happen. Now i know i way overestimated the american people
Obama & the Dems mass surveillance continues as liberals, domestically, fail to hold them to account.
you might want to check out the patriot act before you start to spew
Perhaps if you reasearched how much the obama admin has Increased surveils unders specific provisions, you wouldn't be humiliating yourself now.
Perhaps if you researched who wrote and championed the Patriot Act, you'd probably still prattle on about the Liberal conspiracy.
I wonder just how much these bozos were paid to decide this! It now appears that the M.I.C. even has the Supreme Court in it's pockets!!!
Careful. The NSA is forwarding all critical comments tot he ACA Death Panels...
So because you disagree with the Courts finding you are questioning the credibility of the Court that has existed since 1789?
hmmm.... I don't think that is very appropriate especially given the legality behind the matter is against your opinion.
You seem to forget JerseyJeff, that the all powerful M.I.C. in Washington didn't even exist in 1789 and didn't come into being until after WW2 and has grown exponentially ever since! Moreover, even some judges have a price no matter how high.