ACLU Files Suit Against Obama Administration Over Phone Surveillance

The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Obama administration, calling its phone surveillance program an affront to the constitution.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court forced Verizon Wireless to hand over phone records of its customers to the National Security Agency under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

The suit claims that the program, which was first revealed this week in an article in the Guardian, violates the First and Fourth amendments.

“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.”