Opinion ID: 1356581
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Legality of the Underlying Terrorist Surveillance Program

Text: Finally, plaintiffs argue that the Glomar doctrine may not be invoked to conceal illegal or unconstitutional activities. As we have stated, we are unaware of any evidence that the NSA invoked the Glomar doctrine in order to conceal illegal or unconstitutional activities; nor do we have reason to believe that the NSA was acting in bad faith in providing a Glomar response. See Minier, 88 F.3d at 800. In their briefs, plaintiffs contend the NSA's refusal to disclose whether it obtained any records under the TSP related to plaintiffs is unlawful because any such records, if they exist, would have been obtained in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, plaintiffs argue that (1) the warrantless interception of plaintiff lawyers' communications violates the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments, (2) the threat of monitoring attorney-client conversations violates the constitutional rights of the detainees, and (3) warrantless surveillance violates the separation of powers. Defendants respond that the legality of the TSP is a separate matter from a FOIA challenge, [8] Appellee's Br. 32-36; Tr. 11, a point that plaintiffs conceded at oral argument, Tr. 23 (And again, we are not asking this Court to reach the question of [the merits of the argument that the TSP is illegal]. We don't think that's necessary here.). We agree with counsel for all parties that we need not reach the legality of the underlying Terrorist Surveillance Program because that question is beyond the scope of this FOIA action. In declining to address the legality of the program in the context of suits seeking disclosure of secret records, we are not alone; several of our sister Circuits have entertained TSP-related cases and have declined to reach the merits of the TSP itself. See, e.g., Al-Haramain Islamic Found., Inc. v. Bush, 507 F.3d 1190, 1205 (9th Cir.2007); ACLU v. NSA, 493 F.3d 644 (6th Cir.2007) (dismissing the case because plaintiffs could not establish their standing to sue without obtaining classified information, the disclosure of which would jeopardize national security); cf. United States. v. Abu Ali, 528 F.3d 210, 257-58 (4th Cir.2008) (not reaching the issue of the legality of the TSP in the context of a criminal challenge to warrantless surveillance under the program).