Federal Judge Offers Personal Opinion That NSA Intercept Program Is "Unconstitutional"

Welcome, Glenn Greenwald Reader!s: Important background here.

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Whatever.

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit became the first judge to strike down the National Security Agency’s program, which she says violates the rights to free speech and privacy.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of journalists, scholars and lawyers who say the program has made it difficult for them to do their jobs. They believe many of their overseas contacts are likely targets of the program, which involves wiretapping conversations between people in the U.S. and people in other countries.

And she ordered an immediate halt to the program. Not giving the Government or Congress any time to scramble to introduce legislation conforming with her opinion.

Obviously, she takes terrorism seriously.

The have-it-both-ways Democrats have been claiming for months they're gung-ho on national security, and don't object to the NSA program in principle, they merely wish the President to "comply with the law" and seek Congressional authorization for the program.

Well, Congress has had months to pass such leglislation.

Where is it?

On the heels of the SkyBomb busts, ably assisted by American signals intelligence (i.e., NSA intercepts), this judge has ruled that American efforts in this regard must stop immediately.

I don't question her timing. I question her sanity.

Well, This Explains It: Two words that chill any anti-terrorist's blood to red ice: Carter. Appointee.

Goldstein Weighs In: With Ms. Taylor's bio, and her insistence that the government must reveal highly sensitive information if it wants to keep in place a highly sensitive program.

posted by Ace at 12:20 PM

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