U.S. justices reject call to review intelligence court action on phone records

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

BY LAWRENCE HURLEY
WASHINGTON Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:26am EST

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it would not review a ruling by a secretive intelligence court that authorized government access to millions of Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) phone-call records.

The long-shot case was brought to the court by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a public interest research organization. It was first time the high-profile issue has come before the justices since the recent wave of leaks traced to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

The court rejected the case in a one sentence order issued Monday.

The Obama administration argued in papers presented to the court that under existing law, only the government or Verizon itself could challenge a ruling by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/18/us-usa-court-intelligence-idUSBRE9AH0NM20131118

[longship]

1. A standing decision? If so, not a decision on the legal principle.

This may not be fatal if the decision is on the matter of standing. I am no legal expert but I think that these standing decisions may often be used to postpone a decision, one way or another.

I may have my head up my ass, however.

[christx30]

2. The problem is

their take is that since no one knew their privacy was being violated, then it wasn't violated. Like if you never find out you have breast cancer, you're not actually sick.
Is there anyone that will have standing if that is the government's posistion?

[struggle4progress]

5. As SCOTUS declined the case without comment, we don't actually know their take

As respondent argued, among other matters, that plaintiffs were not the parties entitled by statute to bring such a case, one might credibly guess SCOTUS found nothing controversial in that view and so found no reason to proceed further

Some documents are available here: http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/in-re-electronic-privacy-information-center/

[melm00se]

3. Lost this one

keep pumping cases thru the court to address the deficiencies citing by the court until one sticks

[GoneFishin]

4. Anybody who uses a telephone should have standing. n/t

[struggle4progress]

6. As matters stand, it seems only political remedies are available

[randome]

7. If anyone without standing can make a government agency jump to attention...

...then so can suspected crime lords. They can keep 'tabs' on any agency by bringing their functions to a halt any time they want.

Without standing, there is no point to going on a fishing expedition against a government agency one may not like.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[OnyxCollie]

8. It appears there are less than four "liberal" justices willing to hear the case. nt

[blkmusclmachine]

9. Terrorists wear black robes, too.

[woo me with science]

10. Absolutely disgusting. nt