The NSA’s bulk collection of phone records got smacked down today in a huge court decision:
A federal appeals court in New York on Thursday ruled that the once-secret National Security Agency program that is systematically collecting Americans’ phone records in bulk is illegal. The decision comes as a fight in Congress is intensifying over whether to end and replace the program, or to extend it without changes.
In a 97-page ruling, a three-judge panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that a provision of the USA Patriot Act known as Section 215 cannot be legitimately interpreted to allow the bulk collection of domestic calling records.
Here is more on it from Fox News’ Judge Napolitano:
Ted Cruz just put out a press release applauding the decision, saying this court decision confirms the NSA went too far:
“The court’s ruling today confirms what the American public already knew: The National Security Agency’s data collection program went too far in collecting the phone records of Americans,” said Sen. Cruz. “Congress should immediately pass the USA FREEDOM Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor, to strike the right balance between privacy rights and national security interests. The USA FREEDOM Act ends the NSA’s unfettered data collection program once and for all, while at the same time preserving the government’s ability to obtain information to track down terrorists when it has sufficient justification and support for doing so.”
Meanwhile, John McCain is very worried about the decision:
THE HILL – Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is “very worried” about Thursday’s federal appeals court decision that struck down the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of American’s phone records, he said Thursday on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom.”
“We have to have the ability to monitor these communications,” he said.
“It’s pretty clear that 9/11 could have been prevented if we had known about some of the communications that were linked to those who committed the terrible atrocity of 9/11.”
McCain added that the government has to balance that capacity with privacy and admitted that it has overstepped from “time to time.” While he called for a public debate to come to an agreement that balances privacy with security, he said it’s integral that Americans “understand” the threat.
“People seem to have forgotten 9/11,” he said.
“People don’t understand that there are thousands of young people all over the world who are motivated by this radical brand of Islam, which is our enemy.”