From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 05:47:06 +0800
To: Lucky Green <shamrock@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Court proceedings under new SAFE act
In-Reply-To: <3.0.2.32.19970911212546.0069c654@netcom10.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.95.970916141329.12245G-100000@well.com>
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On Thu, 11 Sep 1997, Lucky Green wrote:

> >secret court that has never denied a request for a wiretap) jurisdiction;
> >they can issue ex parte orders giving police access to plaintext. Also
> >lets U.S. government coordinate with other governments in doing such.
> 
> Is there any way of finding out the names of the judges sitting on the FISA
> court?

Not that I know of, though I do know that U.S. District Court Judge Joyce
Green served on the FISA court for seven years.

Background: The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Survelliance Act established a
special, secret court of current Federal district court judges. They
approve warrants in secret hearings, with no opposing attorneys present.
The judges are required to be available 24 hours a day for emergency
hearings. Some happen in the middle of the night in the judge's home.

-Declan