August 09, 2007
The Wages of Spinelessness
Four days after President Bush signed controversial legislation legalizing some warrantless surveillance of Americans, the administration is citing the law in a surprise motion today urging a federal judge to dismisss a lawsuit challenging the NSA spy program. The lawsuit was brought by lawyers defending Guantanamo Bay prisoners. The lawyers and others alleged the threat of surveillance is chilling their First Amendment rights of speech, and their clients’ right to legal representation. … Justice Department lawyers are asking (.pdf) U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to toss the case, citing the new law — which says warrantless surveillance can continue for up to a year so long as one person in the intercepted communications is reasonably believed to be located outside of the United States.
Tell me again why the Speaker allowed this FISA revision to come to a vote so quickly?
Posted by Michael : August 9, 2007 06:25 PM | Civil Liberties | TechnoLinks
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So Congress could adjourn for its August recess, right? The same sort of recess that members of Congress objected to whent he Iraqi legislature took one. I guess democracy is more important in Iraq than in the US.
Posted by: Donald A. Coffin at August 13, 2007 12:34 PM