The federal judge who struck down President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program turned aside a government request for an indefinite stay Thursday but said the government could have a week to appeal.
U.S. Judge Anna Diggs Taylor ruled on Aug. 17 that the program, which targets communications between people in this country and people overseas when a link to terrorism is suspected, violates the rights to free speech and privacy, as well as the separation of powers in the Constitution. The White House says the surveillance is a key tool in the fight against terrorism that already has helped prevent attacks.
