Holder’s
Not Happy: Judge Orders Obama Admin. To Declassify More Reports From
FISC
By Clash Daily / 15 September 2013 / 3 Comments
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Call it the Edward Snowden effect: Citing the former NSA contractor, a
federal judge has ordered the government to declassify more reports from
the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
In an opinion from the FISC itself, Judge F. Dennis Saylor on Friday
told the White House to declassify all the legal opinions relating to
Section 215 of the Patriot Act written after May 2011 that aren’t
already the subject of FOIA litigation.
The court ruled that the White House must identify the opinions in
question by Oct. 4.
“The unauthorized disclosure of in June 2013 of a Section 215 order, and
government statements in response to that disclosure, have engendered
considerable public interest and debate about Section 215,” wrote
Saylor. “Publication of FISC opinions relating to this opinion would
contribute to an informed debate.”
The ruling comes in response to a petition by the American Civil
Liberties Union seeking greater government transparency. But because the
ACLU already has a similar FOIA case pending in another court, Saylor
wrote that the new FISC order can only cover documents that don’t relate
to that case. Depending on how the other case turns out, the ACLU could
come back to the FISA court later and ask again.
Senior intelligence officials have voluntarily published some of its
surveillance-related documents in recent weeks and vow to release more,
but this marks the first time the FISA court has given a direct order to
the administration on declassification.
The ruling comes a day after President Obama’s top spy acknowledged that
Snowden, who leaked U.S. data that revealed how the federal government
was monitoring citizens’ Internet and phone accounts, may have done a
public service.
“I think it’s clear that some of the conversations this has generated,
some of the debate, actually needed to happen,” said national
intelligence chief James Clapper Thursday. “If there’s a good side to
this, maybe that’s it.”
The Justice Department appears to feel otherwise on Snowden. In June it
charged the Maryland native with espionage.
Read more at http://clashdaily.com/2013/09/holders-happy-judge-order-obama-admin-declassify-reports-fisc/#Z9o7UvZ4IrQ9D5rx.99
Read more at http://clashdaily.com/2013/09/holders-happy-judge-order-obama-admin-declassify-reports-fisc/#Z9o7UvZ4IrQ9D5rx.99
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