Electronic Surveillance of Terrorism in the United States
Mississippi Law Journal, Vol. 80, No. 4, 2011
Lewis & Clark Law School Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2011-19
16 Pages Posted: 12 Aug 2011 Last revised: 7 Sep 2011
Date Written: September 11, 2010
Abstract
This short article, prepared for an international forum on criminal procedure, describes the history of the use of electronic surveillance to combat terrorism in the United States. It shows how the restrictions on its use has evolved into a compromise between traditional law enforcement norms and military/national security norms, just as the apprehension and treatment of terrorists has muddled the law enforcement and military roles. The article concludes that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s compromise is a reasonable accommodation of the peculiar characteristics of modern, international terrorism.
Keywords: national security, criminal procedure, constitutional law, electronic surveillance, terrorism, Fourth Amendment
JEL Classification: K14, K42
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation