Sen. Patrick Leahy says he's encouraged that a federal appeals court has ruled that the federal government's massive phone surveillance program is unconstitutional.
"I think those who continue to ignore this are just not facing facts. Even worse, they are not facing the law."- Senator Patrick Leahy
The court ruling comes just weeks before Congress will vote on the re-authorization of the Patriot Act, the law that allows the Obama Administration to collect hundreds of millions of phone records as part of an effort to thwart terrorism.
Leahy is the lead sponsor of a bill that removes the government's ability to conduct this kind of bulk data collection program. He praised the court's decision.
"It gives us a lot, a lot of support, and I think those who continue to ignore this are just not facing facts. Even worse, they're not facing the law," said Leahy.
Both the House and the Senate are expected to consider Leahy's proposal in the next two weeks.
