The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Essay - 795 Words

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) was created by Congress in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. The role of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is to provide judicial oversight of Intelligence Community activities in a classified setting. It is composed of federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The decisions of the court can be reviewed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISCR) and the Supreme Court. After the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act of 2008, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has to rule on important and novel Fourth Amendment issues raised by the government s proposed targeting and minimization procedures (EPIC, 2015). The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was originally composed of seven district judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States to serve for a maximum of seven years. Amendments in the USA Patriot Act increased the number of judges on the Court to eleven, with three required to live within twenty miles of the District of Columbia in 2001. The Chief Justice appoints a Presiding Judge for the court from amongst these eleven judges. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court operates out of a secure location in the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., but can authorize searches or surveillance anywhere within the United States (EPIC, 2015). The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance CourtShow MoreRelatedThe Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act2036 Words   |  9 PagesDomestic Surveillance Citizens feeling protected in their own nation is a crucial factor for the development and advancement of that nation. The United States’ government has been able to provide this service for a small tax and for the most part it is money well spent. Due to events leading up to the terrifying attacks on September 11, 2001 and following these attacks, the Unites States’ government has begun enacting certain laws and regulations that ensure the safety of its citizens. From theRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 856 Words   |  4 Pageselectronic surveillance remains one of the most effective tools the United States has to protect against foreign powers and groups seeking to inflict harm on the nation, but it does not go without a few possessing a few negative aspects either. Electronic surveillance of foreign intelligence has likely saved the lives of many innocent people through prevention of potential acts of aggression towards the U nited States. There are many pros to the actions authorized under the Foreign Intelligence SurveillanceRead MoreThe Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: Analysis, Pros and Cons1767 Words   |  8 PagesTHE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT: ANALYSIS, PROS AND CONS INTRODUCTION The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is an Act of Congress passed in 1978 and signed by the then President Jimmy Carter. The Act stipulates the procedures to be followed when obtaining intelligence from foreign powers and agents of foreign powers both physically and electronically. The Act has been amended severally. In 2001, it was amended to involve groups and terrorist organizations not supported by foreignRead MoreA Study of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act1503 Words   |  6 Pages FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVILLANCE ACT This act was created in 1978. It proposes methods for gaining judicial permission in order to carry out physical and technological search for a person, who might be a terrorist threat for USA, on behalf of a foreign power. In 1970, a man named Christopher H. Pyle discovered that the US army intelligence had hired 1500 officers whose job was to spy on protest or public demonstration that involved more than 20 people. This shocking news immediately capturedRead MoreWiretapping And The Fourth Amendment Rights Of Criminals1559 Words   |  7 Pageswiretapped conversations now required a warrant, and could not be set up without one. This theoretically stopped surveillance of non-criminals, but in practice, the Nixon administration still abused this power. June 19, 1968- First Law to Restrict Wiretapping Ability of the Government. October 25, 1978- FISA ( Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) passed The FISA act set limits of surveillance after it was exposed that the government wiretapped activists, such as MLK, and after President Nixon’s administrationRead MoreDomestic Surveillance During The United States1474 Words   |  6 PagesDomestic Surveillance in the Unites States has been going on for decades without the public s knowledge. Domestic Surveillance didn t seem important in the eye of the American government. After the September attacks (9/11) congress started to treat Domestic Surveillance as a number one priority. After September 11th Congress passed a law to use military force for those responsible for the attacks in New York, NY. The go ahead with using military force did not give the President to use surveillanceRead MoreThe Controversy Over U.S. Domestic Surveillance1391 Words   |  6 Pageswithout a warrant. This proved to be illegal since the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act states that the government is prohibited from eavesdropping inside the United States without first getting a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA court). In order to counteract the issues he had caused, on October 26, 2001 Bush signed the Patriot Act; a law that would expand the government’s electronic surveillance powers. After signing this law Bush stated, â€Å"The existing lawRead MoreThe Piracy of Privacy901 Words   |  4 Pagesthis can only be told through time. During the Cold War, at the height of the ‘Red Scare’ FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover conducted mass clandestine operations on US citizens. â€Å"Even before he became director of the FBI, Hoover was conducting secret intelligence operations against U.S. citizens he suspected were anarchists, radical leftists or communists.† (NPR) The specifics of these programs were not completely released to Congress or even the Supreme Court for rulings and oversight. Many politiciansRead MoreSharing Is Not Always Caring1406 Words   |  6 PagesCourt case of United States v. United States District Court shows an instance where governing officials, an Attorney General, decided that unwarranted electronic surveillance was necessary to spy on another American citizen that was â€Å"accused† of committing and act of domestic terrorism on a building belonging to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Without actual evidence, the courts felt that the citizen was protected under the Fourth Amendment. Later, during the Nixon administration, the incidentRead MoreThe End Of The Second World War1130 Words   |  5 Pagesdefend themselves from another surprise attack. Therefore, they formed the Armed Forces Agency. This agency was also short-lived, by 1952 the Armed Forces Agency had lost governmental trust because they rejected communications with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other federal agencies. Longing for a structured security agency that would be able to break the code systems used by opposing forces, President Harry Truman established the National Security Agency on November 2, 1952 (Plethrons