Federal Court Finds NSA Wiretaps Unconstitutional
August 18, 2006
By Wayne Rash
August 18, 2006
www.eweek.com
A federal judge in Detroit has rejected the Bush administration’s argument that the National Security Agency’s wiretap program, which has been conducted for nearly five years, is allowed by the U.S. Constitution.
In a sharply worded statement that cites precedents from as far back as the late 18th century, and quotes extensively from the Framers of the Constitution, Judge Anna Diggs Taylor of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, said: “We must note that the Office of the Chief Executive has itself been created, with its powers, by the Constitution. There are no hereditary Kings in America, and no powers not created by the Constitution.”