Listen to EFF's Courtroom Arguments Against Warrantless Wiretapping

This American Life did a story on the origin of the State Secrets priviledge.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/383/o... skip to 29:05.

The gist of it being, in the original case where this came up, the government claimed the information in classified documents couldn't be used as evidence and thus the case couldn't proceed. The supreme court upheld that request and now the government can always waive their hand and say "classified" and the documents can't be used as evidence. 50 years later, the documents from the original case were declassified and there was no secret or classified information in them, they just proved the government was at fault.

The EFF - something that appeared that was greatly needed. Thank goodness they exist.

(Dropping $10 in their bank...)

This is really important stuff. I watched a good 25 minutes of the youtube video for Jewel vs. NSA. I really wish lawyers spoke like humans. I understand there's procedure in a courtroom, but it seems like that gets in the way of comprehension.

From what I gathered, the lawyer for the government was arguing to get the case thrown out because the judges don't have the right to decide. One of the judges referred to it as a mobius strip argument. That seemed to piss off the judges.

I wonder why people who can work from anywhere and can afford plane tickets continue to live and work in a place that no longer has the rule of law.