Judge Says NSA Phone Surveillance Is Constitutional
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A federal judge in New York has ruled that the National Security Agency’s mass collection of phone data is constitutional, rejecting a challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
U.S. District Judge William Pauley’s decision came just 11 days after a district judge in Washington ruled the opposite – that the agency’s “almost Orwellian” surveillance program is likely unconstitutional. The ruling raises the likelihood that the issue will be settled by the Supreme Court.
In his Pauley said there is no evidence that the government has used any of the data collected for purposes other than “investigating and disrupting” terror attacks.
“Technology allowed al-Qaida to operate decentralized and plot international terrorist attacks remotely. The bulk telephony metadata collection program represents the government’s counter-punch: connecting fragmented and fleeting communications to re-construct and eliminate al-Qaida’s terror network,” he wrote.
The judge granted the government’s motion to dismiss the case and denied the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
The ACLU is reportedly planning to appeal the decision, saying the ruling is .
Related: Marissa Mayer, Tim Cook & Other Tech Titans Meet With Obama on Health Care, Surveillance
A federal judge in New York has ruled that the National Security Agency’s mass collection of phone data is constitutional, rejecting a challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
U.S. District Judge William Pauley’s decision came just 11 days after a district judge in Washington ruled the opposite – that the agency’s “almost Orwellian” surveillance program is likely unconstitutional. The ruling raises the likelihood that the issue will be settled by the Supreme Court.
In his Pauley said there is no evidence that the government has used any of the data collected for purposes other than “investigating and disrupting” terror attacks.
“Technology allowed al-Qaida to operate decentralized and plot international terrorist attacks remotely. The bulk telephony metadata collection program represents the government’s counter-punch: connecting fragmented and fleeting communications to re-construct and eliminate al-Qaida’s terror network,” he wrote.
The judge granted the government’s motion to dismiss the case and denied the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
The ACLU is reportedly planning to appeal the decision, saying the ruling is .
Related: Marissa Mayer, Tim Cook & Other Tech Titans Meet With Obama on Health Care, Surveillance
