Security State out of control? In secret, court vastly broadens powers of N.S.A.

In recent rulings, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) vastly expanded the powers of the NSA, allowing for even more invasive tactics used to spy on American citizens. The secretive court is known for one sided rulings that interpret the Fourth Amendment in ways that would have the founding fathers rolling over in their graves. The court has adopted the Supreme Court’s “special needs” doctrine, established in 1989, to erode the Fourth Amendment and allow for warrantless searches and seizures in the name of public safety.

From the article…

nytimes.com – The rulings, some nearly 100 pages long, reveal that the court has taken on a much more expansive role by regularly assessing broad constitutional questions and establishing important judicial precedents, with almost no public scrutiny, according to current and former officials familiar with the court’s classified decisions.

Geoffrey R. Stone, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago, said he was troubled by the idea that the court is creating a significant body of law without hearing from anyone outside the government, forgoing the adversarial system that is a staple of the American justice system. “That whole notion is missing in this process,” he said.

Would the founding fathers have agreed with the courts interpretation of the constitution? Read and comment at TheNewsCommenter.com

 

 

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