Source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/409/1219
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 06:15:46+00:00

Document:
The electronic surveillance used by the Government was represented to me on oral argument as being in the 'foreign' field. No warrant, as required by the Fourth Amendment and by our decisions, was obtained, only the authorization by the Attorney General. Such authorization was held insufficient in our recent decision in United States v. United States District Court for Eastern District of Michigan, 407 U.S. 297, 92 S.Ct. 2125, 32 L.Ed.2d 752 (1972). It is argued that that case involved 'domestic' surveillance, but the Fourth Amendment and our prior decisions, to date at least, draw no distinction between 'foreign' and 'domestic' surveillance. Whether such a distinction will eventually be made is for the Court, not for me, to make. Moreover, in light of the casual way in which 'foreign' as distinguished from 'domestic' surveillance was used on oral argument it may be that we are dealing only with a question of semantics. Defendants' telephonic communications, it seems, were not tapped, nor were those of their attorney or consultants. But a conversation or several conversations of counsel for defendants were intercepted.
Therefore it would seem to follow from the reasoning of the Court of Appeals that whether or not there was 'standing' would turn on the merits. The case, viewed in that posture, would seem to require an adversary hearing on the issue of relevancy. We held, in Alderman v. United States, 394 U.S. 165, 182, 89 S.Ct. 961, 971, 22 L.Ed.2d 176 (1969), that the issue of relevancy should not be resolved in camera, but in an adversary proceeding. Alderman would be greatly undercut if the issue of relevancy could be resolved in camera, and if the trial court ruled against the defendants on the merits and then determined they had no 'standing' to complain.
I seriously doubt if the ruling of the Court of Appeals on 'standing' accurately states the law. In modern times the 'standing' of persons or parties to raise issues has been greatly liberalized. Our Court has not squarely ruled on the precise issue here involved. But it did rule in Flast v. Cohen, 392 U.S. 83, 103, 88 S.Ct. 1942, 1954, 20 L.Ed.2d 947 (1968), that one who complains of a violation of a First Amendment right has 'standing.' On oral argument Flast was distinguished from the present case on the ground that under the Fourth Amendment only those whose premises have been invaded or whose conversations have been intercepted have standing to complain of unconstitutional searches and seizures. That contention, however, does not dispose of this case.
Robert Keelan MEISEL, Jr. and Barbara Jean Fitch v. UNITED STATES.
Kenneth TIERNEY v. UNITED STATES. Mathias REILLY et al. v. UNITED STATES. Nos. A-49, A80.

References: v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v.