[Cryptography] EFF, ACLU to Present Oral Argument in NSA Spying Case on Nov. 4

John Gilmore gnu at toad.com
Fri Oct 31 14:40:07 EDT 2014


Cryptography followers are invited to attend this court hearing in
Washington, DC on November 4, opposing NSA's mass collection of
telephone records.  Observe government lawyers using twisted arguments
and new meanings of simple words to justify spooky outrageous
behavior!  Support civil rights attorneys using principled arguments
rooted in constitutional and societal norms to defend YOUR rights!
Perceive the wheels of justice or just-us grinding the constitution
into effect or into irrelevance!  Show the judges and the press that
the public cares whether NSA gets away with using totalitarian
methods!  See the constitutional issues around mass surveillance
actually be discussed in an open, public court that actually hears
from someone other than the government!  The good guys won this case
at the district court (the judge declared the NSA's actions
unconstitutional), and the government had to appeal it to stop the
ruling from killing off the program.  This case could be very
interesting, and these judges could make the final decision if the
Supreme Court decides not to review their decision.

Please be respectful, wear a costume (banker or politician duds
suggested), and arrive without contraband, weapons, penknives,
cameras, nor most other tools for resisting official oppression.
Bring either a lawyer (who can sign you in) or bring
unconstitutionally required identifying documents, or the US Marshals
at the door will not admit you to this "public trial".

I won't be there (wrong coast), but perhaps a DC local will organize a
nearby place to have lunch afterward and discuss the hearing.

	John Gilmore

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Friday, October 31, 2014

Contact:

Dave Maass
  Media Relations Coordinator
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  press at eff.org
  +1 415 436-9333 x177

Media Alert: EFF, ACLU to Present Oral Argument in NSA 
Spying Case on Nov. 4 

Court Should Rule That Mass Telephone Records Collection Is 
Unconstitutional in Klayman v. Obama  

Washington, D.C. - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) 
will appear before a federal appeals court next week to 
argue the National Security Agency (NSA) should be barred 
from its mass collection of telephone records of million of 
Americans.  The hearing in Klayman v. Obama is set for 9:30 
am on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in Washington, D.C. 

Appearing as an amicus, EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn will 
present oral argument at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 
District of Columbia Circuit on behalf of EFF and the 
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which submitted a 
joint brief in the case. 

Conservative activist and lawyer Larry Klayman filed the 
suit in the aftermath of the first Edward Snowden 
disclosure, in which The Guardian revealed how the NSA was 
collecting telephone records on a massive scale from the 
telecommunications company Verizon.  In December, District 
Court Judge Richard Leon issued a preliminary injunction in 
the case, declaring that the mass surveillance program was 
likely unconstitutional. 

EFF argues that the call-records collection, which the NSA 
conducts with claimed authority under Section 215 of the 
USA PATRIOT Act, violates the Fourth Amendment rights of 
millions of Americans.  Separately, EFF is counsel in two 
other lawsuits against the program -- Jewel v. NSA and First 
Unitarian Church of Los Angeles v. NSA -- and is co-counsel 
with the ACLU in a third, Smith v. Obama. 

What: Oral Argument in Klayman v. Obama 

Who: EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn 

When: 9:30 am (ET), Nov. 4, 2014 

Where: E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse and William B. 
Bryant Annex
Courtroom 20
333 Constitution Ave., NW 
Washington, D.C. 20001 

For background and legal documents: 
https://www.eff.org/cases/klayman-v-obama 

The audio of the oral arguments is expected to be available 
on the court's website sometime after the 
hearing:
http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/recordings/recordings.nsf/ 

For this release:
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/media-alert-eff-aclu-present-oral-argument-nsa-spying-case-nov-4

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading 
organization protecting civil liberties in the digital 
world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight 
illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital 
innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms 
we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of 
technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. 
Find out more at https://www.eff.org. 


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