A federal appeals court has expressed concern about the government’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ telephone records.
The judges are questioning whether it could be extended to bank and credit card records as well.
Questions about the scope of the program arose during arguments Tuesday before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. The court reserved decision after two hours of arguments.
Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union appealed a judge’s December ruling. The judge found that the surveillance program was a necessary extension of steps taken by the U.S. government after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The ruling conflicts with a decision out of Washington, D.C. That court blocked the collection of phone records of two men who had challenged the program.
(AP)
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I actually watched a portion of the court proceedings broadcast on C-Span last night. I find it fairly impressive how these attorney’s know their material so well as to respond spontaneously to questions from the bench not only regarding their prepared remarks, but also about a wide range of related case law.
It’s not as if they could just bluff their way through it since they’d get caught by opposing counsel if not the justices themselves. They also do it without getting flustered or losing their sense of humor in the heat of it.