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A Study of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

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FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVILLANCE ACT This act was created in 1978. It proposes methods for gaining judicial permission in order to carry out physical and technological search for a person, who might be a terrorist threat for USA, on behalf of a foreign power. In 1970, a man named Christopher H. Pyle discovered that the US army intelligence had hired 1500 officers whose job was to spy on protest or public demonstration that involved more than 20 people. This shocking news immediately captured the attention of Senator Sam Ervin, who was the chairman of a sub- committee of senate related to constitutional rights. Though Sam Ervin strongly condemned this act of US intelligence but he had very little authority to take a step against it. It was due to brave men like Christopher H. Pyle and Senator Sam Ervin that people came to know that how the government was ignoring and violating the provisions to the constitution. This violation of rules and laws by the government led towards the formulation of foreign intelligence surveillance act. The primary feature of this act was as follows; "the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ("FISA Court") which allows the executive branch to secretly obtain warrants for electronic surveillance but only with strict judicial review" Previously there were seven members of foreign intelligence surveillance act court but now the number has been extended to eleven. All of these members are appointed by the chief justice of

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