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What is the FISA court?
It may be the most powerful court you have never heard of -- operating out of a bunker-like complex blocks from the Capitol and the White House -- sealed tightly to prevent eavesdropping.
Its a tribunal that is secret (or supposed to be). Its structure is largely one-sided and its members are unilaterally chosen by one unelected person.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court -- or FISA Court for short -- is a panel that critics contend rubber-stamps nearly every National Security Agency request to snoop that it receives.
Court officials, naturally, object to that characterization. But concerns remain that without reforms, like President Barack Obama's call for an independent "privacy advocate" to monitor its actions, civil liberties might be at risk.
Who's on the court?
The court is housed in a room in a windowless and secure area of the U.S. District Court on Constitution Avenue. Government sources say it's a courtroom with a judge's bench, tables for lawyers, and support staff. Officials won't divulge its exact location in the building.
The court is made up of 11 judges who sit for seven-year terms. All are federal district judges who agree to take on the additional duties on a rotating basis.
They are appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts, without any supplemental confirmation from the other two branches of government. Roberts has named every member of the current court, as well as a separate three-judge panel to hear appeals known as the Court of Review.
How does the surveillance court work?
The FISA Court's larger mission is to decide whether to grant certain types of government requests-- wiretapping, data analysis, and other monitoring for "foreign intelligence purposes" of suspected terrorists and spies operating in the United States.
There were 1,856 applications in 2012 to the FISA Court for electronic surveillance and physical searches for "foreign intelligence purposes," the Justice Department said.
None were denied, but 40 were modified to some extent. Only one such request was withdrawn by the FBI.....snip~
What is the FISA court? - CNN.com