“[A] still-secret March 2007 FISC [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court] ruling found that elements of NSA’s [National Security Agency’s] domestic eavesdropping effort were illegal. The FISC judge’s ruling says, in effect, that certain aspects of NSA’s monitoring of foreign communications passing through U.S.-based telephone switching centers and Internet service providers are patently illegal. According to Newsweek [on August 1, 2007], the judge, whose identity remains a secret, concluded ‘that the [Bush] administration had overstepped its legal authorities in conducting warrantless eavesdropping.’ As a result, the judge refused to reauthorize the program until such time as it was brought into conformance with FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act].” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Matthew M. Aid, The Secret Sentry, Page 298