Civil Rights Groups Sue Government Over Warrentless Tapping

[The Straight Story]

Civil Rights Groups Sue Government Over Warrentless Tapping

Two landmark cases impacting the right to privacy for millions of Americans made their way into a federal court in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon. At issue was whether or not the Bush administration has a right to wiretap Americans without a warrant under the guise of national security. The case pits civil rights groups against AT&T and the president of the United States.

Ever since the president quietly authorized warrantless spying on Americans to tap their phones and email, his actions have come under attack by civil rights groups arguing constitutional right to privacy was being violated from the highest levels of government. The president has stated that the wiretaps don't target all Americans but rather focus on foreign terror suspects making international calls and sending international emails.

Lawsuits challenging the wiretaps were filed, but the government has argued they should be thrown out because litigation airing details of the surveillance would jeopardize state secrets.

Now the Ninth District Court of Appeals is hearing two of those cases, one names AT&T for collaborating with the government; the other naming President Bush challenging the legalities of his actions.

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