{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221181239/http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-statement-on-dc-circuit-court-ruling-on-nsa-bulk-data-collection", "Blumenthal Statement On D.C. Circuit Court Ruling On NSA Bulk Data Collection", "2013-12-16", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Monday, December 16, 2013\n\t\t\t(Washington, D.C.) \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement after Judge Richard J. Leon \u2013 a George W. Bush appointee and former federal prosecutor \u2013 issued an injunction against the NSA\u2019s bulk surveillance program, which the Agency claims is authorized by Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. Judge Leon determined that a conservative activist who petitioned the court to hold the program unconstitutional was likely to succeed in getting the court to invalidate the program and would face irreparable harm if the program were allowed to continue. Judge Leon stayed his ruling to give the U.S. Department of Justice time to respond.\n\u201cWhen exposed to the sunlight of Constitutional scrutiny, this massive secret surveillance program could not stand. An independent court, hearing both sides of the argument, has protected precious liberties and rights. Congress must act to create a Special Advocate, which I\u2019ve urged, so unconstitutional surveillance is stopped before privacy is invaded illegally \u2013 as it was here for a decade. \n\u201cThe court has said what I and others have argued for so long: the NSA\u2019s bulk data program, which \u00a0went unscrutinized because it was shrouded in secrecy,\u00a0poses a clear danger to legally protected liberty and privacy rights. Now, Congress should act as well by creating greater transparency and a special advocate whose client is the Constitution to advocate on behalf of Americans\u2019 liberty and privacy.\u201d \nSenator Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, earlier this year introduced the\u00a0FISA Court Reform Act of 2013, which would create a special advocate to the FISA courts to argue on behalf of the right to privacy and other individual rights of the American people.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\n\t\t\t\t\tJosh Zembik \u2013 202-224-6452 Josh_Zembik@blumenthal.senate.gov", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221181239/http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-statement-on-dc-circuit-court-ruling-on-nsa-bulk-data-collection"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7712628468871117, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}