The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Obama administration, challenging the constitutionality of the phone surveillance program revealed by The Guardian.
The suit alleges that the program violates the First and Fourth amendments.
The suit takes issue with the so-called metadata that a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court compelled Verizon Wireless to hand over to the National Security Agency under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
"The practice is akin to snatching every American’s address book—with annotations detailing whom we spoke to, when we talked, for how long, and from where," said the ACLU in the complaint. "It gives the government a comprehensive record of our associations and public movements, revealing a wealth of detail about our familial, political, professional, religious, and intimate associations."
The organization challenged the constitutionality of the FISA Amendments Act in 2008, and the Supreme Court dismissed it by a 5-4 vote.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and could ultimately reach the Supreme Court.
Read the full complaint:
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