The Who, What and Why of FISA
A look at the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, which considers the government’s authority for searches and wiretaps.
Members: Ralph B. Guy Jr., a semiretired judge on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati; Edward Leavy, a semiretired judge on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco; and Laurence Hirsch Silberman, a semiretired judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. All were appointed to the federal bench by President Reagan.
Task: Established in 1978 to review appeals of decisions of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court. Decisions of the review court can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Selection: Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist appoints three appeals court judges to the review court.
Location: Justice Department building in Washington.
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