The Patriot Post® · Second Circuit Hears Challenge to NSA Data Collection

The NSA’s dragnet data collection program is under judicial review in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Reuters reports the judges were skeptical of its constitutionality during oral arguments: “Judge Gerard Lynch, one of three judges who heard the arguments, said it was ‘hard for me to imagine’ Congress had envisioned such a sweeping effort when it passed an expansion of anti-terrorism powers known as the Patriot Act after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. … The two other judges, Robert Sack and Vernon Broderick, also expressed skepticism about the program’s legality, although it can be difficult to infer judges’ eventual rulings from questions at oral argument. The panel could take several months to issue a decision.” The ACLU brought the challenge, but it covers only telephone metadata, not email or online metadata. Stay tuned, because the case is almost certain to go before the Supreme Court. More…