A federal judge ruled Monday the National Security Agency’’s bulk
collection of American’s phone records “almost certainly” violates the
Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches. U.S.
District Judge Richard Leon described the NSA’s activities as "almost
Orwellian." He wrote, "I cannot imagine a more 'indiscriminate' and
'arbitrary invasion' than this systematic and high-tech collection and
retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen." Judge
Leon was appointed to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush
in 2002. Leon suspended enforcement of his injunction against the
program pending an expected appeal by the government. The lawsuit was
brought by conservative attorney Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial
Watch and based on information leaked by former
NSA
contractor Edward Snowden. In a statement Monday, Snowden said, "I
acted on my belief that the NSA’s mass surveillance programs would not
withstand a constitutional challenge, and that the American public
deserved a chance to see these issues determined by open courts. Today, a
secret program authorized by a secret court was, when exposed to the
light of day, found to violate Americans’ rights. It is the first of
many." We are joined by Sascha Meinrath, director of the New America
Foundation’s Open Technology Institute. He served as an expert witnesses
on the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications, which was
tasked by President Obama to review NSA’s activities.
Video
Source: democracynow.org
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