American Civil Liberties Union

LEARN MORE > Court Orders Justice Department To Submit NSA Wiretapping Memos For Judicial Review (10/31/2008) > Court Denies Government's Broad Assertions of Secrecy in Refusal to Turn Over NSA Eavesdropping Documents (9/5/2007) > Groups File Legal Papers Renewing Call For Release of NSA Wiretap Records (5/23/2007) > ACLU Demands Records About Warrantless Spying by National Security Agency (12/20/2005) > ACLU Expedited FOIA Request to Department of Justice (12/20/2005) > Legal Documents in ACLU v. U.S. Department of Justice

Following news reports in December 2005 that President Bush had authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the documents pertaining to this illegal spying program. Among the documents requested were Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memos that supplied the legal justification for the President's decision to authorize warrantless wiretapping in blatant violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a federal statute that prohibited warrantless wiretapping. In February 2006, when the government failed to release the requested documents, the ACLU filed a lawsuit to enforce its rights under FOIA. The lawsuit was consolidated with a similar lawsuit filed by the National Security Archive and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).

The court has twice ordered that the government provide better justification for withholding all of these documents in their entirety – first in September 2007, and again in October 2008. In October 2008, the court ordered the government to produce the withheld OLC memos so that the judge could determine for himself whether portions of the memos could be released to the public. Despite this, the vast majority of government documents about the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program remain completely secret and the government has repeatedly refused to release them.

The Obama administration should release the still-secret legal memos. The release of these memos would allow the public to better understand how the Bush Administration developed a legal justification for its decision to implement a warrantless surveillance program in violation of federal law and to participate more meaningfully in the ongoing debate about surveillance and civil liberties.

LEGAL DOCUMENTS: DISTRICT COURT
> Opinion and Order (10/31/2008)
> Plaintiffs' Notice of OLC Memo (4/3/2008)
> Plaintiffs' Renewed SJ Reply (2/6/2008)
> Defendant's Opposition to Plaintiffs' Renewed Motion and Reply (1/31/2008)
> Plaintiffs’ Memo in Opposition to the Government’s Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment and in Support of Plaintiffs’ Renewed Cross-Motion for In Camera Review (12/18/2007)
> Supplemental Submission of the FBI in Support of Defendant's Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment (11/20/2007)
      > Second Declaration of David Hardy (11/20/2007)
      > Second Declaration of David Hardy: Exhibit A (11/20/2007)
      > Second Declaration of David Hardy: Exhibit B, Part 1 (11/20/2007)
      > Second Declaration of David Hardy: Exhibit B, Part 2 (11/20/2007)
      > Second Declaration of David Hardy: Exhibit B, Part 3 (11/20/2007)
      > Government Second Notice of Lodging of Classified Materials (11/20/2007)
> Government Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment (10/19/2007)
      > Government Exhibit A: Second Redacted Declaration of Steven G. Bradbury
      (10/19/2007)
      > Government Exhibit B: Second Redacted Declaration of J. Patrick Rowan
      (10/19/2007)
      > Government Exhibit C: Declaration of Lynne R. (10/19/2007)
      > Government Notice of Lodging Classified Exhibits (10/19/2007)
> Opinion and Order (9/5/2007)
> Plaintiffs’ Response to Defendant’s Second Notice of Supplemental Authority (7/16/2007)
> Defendant’s Second Notice of Supplemental Authority in Support of Defendant’s Motion For Summary Judgment (7/11/2007)
> Defendant’s Opposition to Plaintiffs’ Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Memorandum (6/15/2007)
> Motion for Leave to File Exhibits to Plaintiffs' Supplemental Memo in Opposition to Government's Motion for Summary Judgement (6/12/2007)
> Plaintiffs' Supplemental Memo in Opposition to Government's Motion for Summary Judgement and in Support of Plaintiff's Cross-Motion for In Camera Review (5/23/2007)
> Plaintiffs' Reply in Support of Plaintiff's Cross-Motion for In Camera Review (11/27/2006)
> Government's Opposition to Plaintiff's Cross-Motion for In Camera Review (11/9/2006)
> Plaintiff's Memo in Opposition to Government's Motion for Summary Judgement and in Support of Plaintiff's Cross-Motion for In Camera Review (10/13/2006)
> Government Motion for Summary Judgement (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibt A: Redacted Declaration of Steven G. Bradbury (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit B: Executive Order 13292 (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit C: Redacted Declaration of James A. Baker (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit D: March 8, 2006 Letter to EPIC (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit E: Declaration of Thomas J. McIntyre (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit F: March 7, 2006 Letter to EPIC (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit G: Redacted Declaration of J. Patrick Rowan (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit H: March 7, 2006 Letter to ACLU (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit I: April 13, 2006 Letter to ACLU (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit J: Redacted Declaration of David M. Hardy (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit K: March 16, 2006 Letter to ACLU (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit L: March 8, 2006 Letter to the National Security Archive (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit M: Declaration of Louis F. Giles (9/15/2006)
      > Government Exhibit N: Declaration of Joseph B. (9/15/2006)
> Government Statement of Material Facts (9/15/2006)
> Complaint (2/7/2006)