Court rules NSA bulk metadata collection exceeded Patriot Act’s Section 215

Court rules NSA bulk metadata collection exceeded Patriot Act’s Section 215

Published 8 May 2015

 

On Thursday, a three-judge panel from the New York-based 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling by Judge William Pauley, which found that the controversial NSA bulk collection of domestic phone metadata was legal and could not be subject to judicial review. That section, which the appeals court ruled the NSA program exceeded, will expire on 1 June. The judges did not address the issue of whether the NSA program violated the Constitution, instead waiting for Congress to decide how to proceed after the program’s 1 June expiration.

On Thursday, a three-judge panel from the New York-based  2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling by Judge William Pauley, which found that the controversial NSA bulk collection of domestic phone metadata was legal and could not be subject to judicial review. Circuit judges Robert Sack and Gerard Lynch and district judge Vernon Broderick ruled that the collection program is not authorized by Congress, quickly sparking more flames in the ongoing debate over the reauthorization of Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
That section, which the appeals court ruled the NSA program exceeded, will expire on 1 June. The judges did not address the issue of whether the NSA program violated the Constitution, instead waiting for Congress to decide how to proceed after the program’s 1 June expiration.
“In light of the asserted national security interests at stake, we deem it prudent to pause to allow an opportunity for debate in Congress that may (or may not) profoundly alter the legal landscape,” the judges ruled.