Opinion ID: 181375
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: FISA's General Operation

Text: Enacted in 1978, FISA permits the Chief Justice of the United States to designate eleven federal judges as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court), see id. § 1803(a)(1), with jurisdiction to entertain ex parte executive applications for electronic surveillance [18] for the purpose of obtaining foreign intelligence information, Id. § 1802(b). [19] To issue a FISA warrant, a judge must find, inter alia, that there is probable cause to believe that the target of the surveillance is a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power and that the place or facilities to be surveilled are being used, or ... about to be used, by a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power. Id. § 1805(a)(2). [20] Rulings by the FISA Court are subject to review by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISA Review Court), which consists of three judges also designated by the Chief Justice. See id. § 1803(b). The FISA Review Court has convened only twice since the statute's enactment: (1) when it heard and rejected a constitutional challenge to FISA not dissimilar to that pursued by Abu-Jihaad in this case, see In re Sealed Case, 310 F.3d 717 (FISA Ct. Rev.2002); and (2) when it heard and rejected an as-applied constitutional challenge to certain provisions of the Protect America Act of 2007 (PAA), Pub.L. No. 110-55, 121 Stat. 552, that permitted the executive to conduct warrantless foreign intelligence surveillance on targets reasonably believed to be located outside the United States, see In re Directives Pursuant to Section 105B of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (In re FISA Section 105B Directives ), 551 F.3d 1004 (FISA Ct. Rev.2008). [21]