Why the courts are the NSA's biggest enemy

With Edward Snowden's leaks out in the open, courts could begin to chip away at the government's collection of metadata

NSA
(Image credit: (Alex Wong/Getty Images))

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' phone records is likely unconstitutional.

Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that the program, disclosed by former NSA contractor turned secret-spilling international fugitive Edward Snowden was "almost Orwellian" and appeared to violate the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.