ADC Welcomes 2nd Circuit Court’s Decision on NSA Phone Spying Program as a Step towards Surveillance Reform
Washington, DC | www.adc.org | May 8, 2015 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) supports the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision delivered yesterday in American Civil Liberties Union v. Clapper, in which the court held that the NSA’s phone spying program is illegal.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the NSA was not authorized by Congress to collect staggering amounts of information by secretly monitoring their phone records.
ADC welcomes the American Civil Liberties Union v. Clapper decision as a step in the right direction towards protecting the rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including those of the Arab-American community. However, the 2nd Circuit decision does not go far enough in protecting our constitutional rights. The decision did not hold that Section 215 and the bulk collection violates the 4th Amendment and the right to privacy. The decision also does not bar the NSA from continuing its activities, but leaves it to Congress to address this issue by clarifying the PATRIOT Act itself.
The NSA derives its authority from Section 215 of the PATRIORT Act, which is set to expire on June 1st, 2015. ADC calls on Congress to take note of the 2nd Circuit’s 97-page decision, emphasizing the intrusion into Americans’ privacy, and to expressly adopt the court’s interpretation of the illegality of the NSA program. ADC also hopes that other federal courts will decide that the NSA’s mass surveillance program is not only illegal but also unconstitutional under the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Take action to protect our constitutional right to privacy:
ADC calls on members to support the Surveillance State Repeal Act (H.R. 1466), which would repeal the USA Patriot Act and FISA Amendments Act of 2008.
Register now for the 2015 ADC National Convention!
The 2015 ADC National Convention will be hosted at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Every year, we are joined by hundreds of Arab-American community members, friends, and civil rights leaders to learn about and discuss issues affecting the Arab-American community. This year, ADC is celebrating 35 years of commitment to Civil Rights.
Register now to take advantage of the early bird registration, which will save you $100 off the normal registration price!
Reminder: The first 75 convention registrants are eligible to attend the State Department Briefing on Thursday, June 11 at 1:00PM. So register now to reserve your spot!
Register online at convention.adc.org or call us at (202) 244-2990.
Support ADC | Become a member | Facebook | Twitter | adc.org
ADC | 1990 M Street NW, Suite 610 | Washington, DC 20036 | (202) 244-2990 | adc@adc.org
You have received this email through your subscription to ADC’s email list.
If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.
© 2015 ADC. All rights reserved.
