A new member for the secret spy court

last updated 8 January 2015

Chief Justice John G. Roberts this week deviated from his pattern of naming Republican-appointed judges to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court by installing a Democrat. Judge José A. Cabranes, who was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton, is considered one of the more conservative-leaning Democratic judges when it comes to security issues. His appointment to the secret court, announced this week, comes as some lawmakers push for changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which gives the chief justice unilateral power to name the 11-member court and its three-member review panel. Cabranes will serve on the court until 2020.