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PrintFebruary 19, 2008
Supremes Toss Challenge to Terrorist Surveillance Program
In a victory for the Bush Administration, the Supreme Court threw out a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against the government over the Terrorist Surveillance Program:
The Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to the Bush administration's domestic spying program.The next time someone asks you why it is important for the Telecoms who helped with this program receive immunity, you can point to this ruling. The fact is, the ACLU and other individuals and groups who want access to the information gathered by the NSA so they can see how the program works and who is targeted and how are not very interested in civil liberties and more interested in putting a stop to the program by exposing its inner workings. It is a dispicable, dishonest tactic and the court was correct in throwing their suit out.
The justices' decision Tuesday includes no comment explaining why they turned down the appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU wanted the court to allow a lawsuit by the group and individuals over the warrantless wiretapping program.
An appeals court dismissed the suit because the plaintiffs cannot prove their communications have been monitored. The government has refused to turn over information about the closely guarded program that could reveal who has been under surveillance.
This bodes well for other suits brought against the program by terrorist detainees at Guantanamo who wish to use the courts to prove they were entrapped or their "rights" were violated by the snooping. I suspect those will also end up in the Supreme Court wastebasket as well.
