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Federal Judge Rules NSA Bulk Phone Record Collection Constitutional - ACLU v. Clapper (13-cv-3994)

Per The Wall Street Journal:

"A federal judge in New York on Friday ruled that the National Security Agency’s broad collection of U.S. phone customer data is lawful, dismissing a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

"The decision by U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III comes just days after another federal judge, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., ruled that the NSA program “almost certainly” violated constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.

"The ACLU lawsuit was regarded as one of the first significant legal challenges against the NSA program after it was disclosed in June.

"'The natural tension between protecting the nation and preserving civil liberty is squarely presented by the Government’s bulk telephony metadata collection program,' wrote Judge Pauley in his 53-page ruling as he dismissed the ACLU lawsuit.

"'While robust discussions are underway across the nation, in Congress, and at the White House, the question for this Court is whether the Government’s bulk telephony metadata program is lawful. This Court finds it is. But the question of whether that program should be conducted is for the other two coordinate branches of Government to decide.'"

Full article after the jump...