On June 17, ACS hosted a panel at the 2006 National Convention to explore the authority of the Executive to authorize domestic surveillance, especially as it relates to the NSA wiretapping program and the release of Americans’ telephone records to the government. Panelists explored the constitutionality of these activities; whether they are necessary to national security and consistent with federal statutes; what laws come into play when the government listens to the content of phone calls, rather than sifting through databases of calling information; and the appropriate level of congressional oversight in the area of intelligence gathering.

Panelists included:

• Neil Kinkopf, Professor of Law, Georgia State University College of Law;
• Leslie Harris, Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Technology;
• David Kris, Senior Vice President, Time Warner; former Associate Deputy Attorney General;
• Robert Turner, Professor and Associate Director, Center for National Security Law, University of Virginia School of Law; and
• Mary DeRosa, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Special Assistant to the President and Legal Adviser, National Security Council (not pictured).