Spy chief quote cited in Verizon lawsuit

If there's still any justice in America, these courts will adjudicate Bush overstepped his authority by illegally spying on Americans. If they find otherwise, except in a case of incompetence by the attorneys, we may all be doomed because it will signify Americans do indeed live in a dictatorship.

The US Bill of Rights is pretty clear on this. It was something the founders were genuinely afraid of. The right to privacy was sacrosanct to them.

A lawsuit alleging that Verizon Communications Inc. illegally turned over customer records as part of the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program should go forward because of a recent admission by the U.S. spy chief, lawyers argued Thursday.

In a newspaper interview published last week, National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell acknowledged that private-sector companies helped the government investigate suspected terrorists in a probe authorized by President Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Outrage over the eavesdropping tactics, including obtaining private telephone logs without a warrant, has led to some 50 lawsuits against telecommunications companies and the government, all of which are before U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is also hearing the government's request to dismiss two lawsuits, one filed by customers of AT&T Inc. against the company, and another brought by the now-defunct Oregon charity Al Haramain Islamic Foundation and two of its lawyers, who say the National Security Agency illegally listened to their calls.

The appeals court's ruling in those two cases will apply to the lawsuits before Walker.

Via Boston Globe.