U.S. Appeals Court Halts A Lower Judge's Order That Would Have Shut Down The NSA's Phone Surveillance Program

Washington Post: Appeals court stays U.S. judge’s ban on bulk collection of phone data

A U.S. appeals court Tuesday temporarily blocked the ruling of a federal judge who this week called the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records almost certainly unconstitutional, just weeks before the program’s scheduled phase-out.

The order by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit came one day after U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon of the District granted a request for an injunction and barred the NSA from collecting telephone data related to a California lawyer, J.J. Little, and his law firm.

Attorneys for the Justice Department warned that it would take weeks for the NSA to make the necessary technical changes to comply with Leon’s order. The inability to hasten those technical changes, the department said, could force the agency to shut down the entire program as it approaches a Nov. 29 deadline to transition to a new system in which data is held by private telephone companies.

WNU editor: This program was going to be shut down at the end of this month anyway, replaced by another program (see above video). The judge who first ordered the shut-down of the NSA's phone surveillance program and its impact can be read here .... Judge Deals a Blow to N.S.A. Data Collection Program (NYT)

More News On The U.S. Appeals Court Halting A Lower Judge's Order That Would Have Shut Down The NSA's Phone Surveillance Program

Appeals court halts order NSA says would shutter surveillance program -- Politico
Appeals court clears hurdle for NSA -- The Hill
Appeals court halts judge's order against NSA's phone surveillance program -- UPI