NSA's warrantless surveillance gets a constitutional challenge
The National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program received a highly charged constitutional challenge on Wednesday. This first-of-its-kind challenge comes via a motion filed by attorneys for Jamshid Muhtorov, an Uzbek refugee, Colorado resident, and accused terrorist, whose e-mail and possibly other communications were secretly gathered by the US government.
Muhtorov's motion not only sets up a likely court test of the constitutionality of government eavesdropping, but it could also be a signal of many more cases to come.
"American citizens and residents -- including Mr. Muhtorov -- have a constitutionally protected privacy interest in the content of their telephone calls and e-mails," the motion reads. "The Fourth Amendment's protection extends not just to domestic communications but to international ones as well."
