U.S. government says wiretap lawsuit should not proceed [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

By Dan Levine
SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:26pm EST

(Reuters) - A lawsuit over alleged illegal wiretapping should not proceed because it would force disclosure of state secrets in the U.S. anti-terrorism effort, an attorney for the U.S. Justice Department argued in court on Friday.

At a hearing in a San Francisco federal court, civil liberties advocates attempted to persuade U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White to allow a lawsuit against the government to proceed.

As the proceeding began, White said he was "completely open" about what he might do.

A group of AT&T Inc customers filed a proposed class action against the National Security Agency and Bush administration officials in 2008, accusing them of improperly operating a warrantless mass surveillance of U.S. citizens.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/14/us-usa-wiretapping-idUSBRE8BD15320121214