Small Victories - EFF gets court order in warrantless surveillance case to examine telcomm co's lobbyists records
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston responded to a request by The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for information about "discussions, briefings or other exchanges" telecommunications companies and members of Congress have had recently with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA" . She issued a court order stating that the information should be handed over by December 10th.
The EFF filed a class-action suit in January 2006 against AT&T Inc., accusing the company of illegally making communications on its networks available to the National Security Agency without warrants. Now Congress wants to grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that would protect them from such court challenges.
"Any attempt for immunity is aimed at getting these very important cases swept back under the rug," EFF spokeswoman Rebecca Jeschke said Wednesday.
President Bush confirmed in December the NSA has been conducting warrantless surveillance of calls and e-mails which they claimed believed the involvement of al-Qaida terrorists if at least one of the parties to the communication is outside the U.S.
The administration contends the program is legal and necessary, but has never agreed or disagreed that purely domestic calls and electronic communications are being monitored.(They are of course)
FISA requires the government to obtain court approval before conducting electronic surveillance on U.S. soil, even if the target is a foreign citizen in a foreign country.
Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the intelligence director, said the department doesn't comment on pending litigation, but "of course we comply with court orders."
Don't hold your breath.
PS Susan Illston was born in Japan and was Nominated by William J. Clinton on January 23, 1995, to a seat vacated by Barbara A. Caulfield; Confirmed by the Senate on May 25, 1995, and received commission on May 26, 1995.
A white female judge nominated by Clintonan , my god the Republicans just hate them.
The EFF filed a class-action suit in January 2006 against AT&T Inc., accusing the company of illegally making communications on its networks available to the National Security Agency without warrants. Now Congress wants to grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that would protect them from such court challenges.
"Any attempt for immunity is aimed at getting these very important cases swept back under the rug," EFF spokeswoman Rebecca Jeschke said Wednesday.
President Bush confirmed in December the NSA has been conducting warrantless surveillance of calls and e-mails which they claimed believed the involvement of al-Qaida terrorists if at least one of the parties to the communication is outside the U.S.
The administration contends the program is legal and necessary, but has never agreed or disagreed that purely domestic calls and electronic communications are being monitored.(They are of course)
FISA requires the government to obtain court approval before conducting electronic surveillance on U.S. soil, even if the target is a foreign citizen in a foreign country.
Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the intelligence director, said the department doesn't comment on pending litigation, but "of course we comply with court orders."
Don't hold your breath.
PS Susan Illston was born in Japan and was Nominated by William J. Clinton on January 23, 1995, to a seat vacated by Barbara A. Caulfield; Confirmed by the Senate on May 25, 1995, and received commission on May 26, 1995.
A white female judge nominated by Clintonan , my god the Republicans just hate them.
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