Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Reinstates Warrantless Wiretapping Cases

  • December 29, 2011

A unanimous panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court, and held that the statutory and constitutional claims of millions of Americans whose telephone and e-mail communications have been subjected to warrantless surveillance by the National Security Agency as part of a massive secret dragnet program may proceed. In Shubert v. Obama, ECBAWM represents four individuals and a putative class of individuals who claim their communications were unlawfully intercepted by the federal government, without a warrant or other statutory authorization. ECBAWM attorney Ilann Maazel argued on behalf of the plaintiffs in Seattle in August 2011, and ECBAWM attorney Adam Pulver joined Mr. Maazel in writing the briefs.

The Court’s decision is available here.

“Court Revives NSA Dragnet Surveillance Case,” wired.com
“Telecom customers may sue government over wiretapping, court says,” Los Angeles Times</em