Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was enacted by Congress in 1978 to regulate the government’s conduct of intelligence surveillance inside the United States. FISA generally requires the government to seek warrants before monitoring Americans’ communications. However, it has seen several amendments and expansions since the tragedy of 9/11. In particularly, President Bush authorized the NSA to launch a warrantless wiretapping program in 2001, and Congress ratified and expanded that program in 2008. Find case-based tools on FISA here.