The Supreme Court this week let stand a federal law that gives the government broad powers to eavesdrop on Americans’ international phone calls and emails. In a 5-4 ruling, the court refused to hear the plaintiffs’ claims that the law violates constitutional protections against unreasonable searches. Congress passed the law in 2008 after The New York Times revealed that the Bush administration had authorized the National Security Agency to carry out warrantless surveillance following the Sept. 11 attacks. The court ruled that since such surveillance was secret, the plaintiffs could not prove they had been eavesdropped on, and so lacked the standing to challenge the law.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
