IT'S ON! Judge refuses to dismiss case against gov't re: dometic spying!

[ourbluenation]

A federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's domestic spying program, rejecting government claims that allowing the case to go forward could expose state secrets and jeopardize the war on terror.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker on Thursday said the warrantless eavesdropping has been so widely reported that there appears to be no danger of spilling secrets.

"...And in declining to dismiss AT&T Inc. from the lawsuit, filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation privacy group, Walker suggested the case had some merit. "AT&T cannot seriously contend that a reasonable entity in its position could have believed that the alleged domestic dragnet was legal," he wrote.

A Justice Department spokesman said the administration was reviewing the ruling before making its next step.

The lawsuit challenges President George W. Bush's assertion that he can use his wartime powers to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant. It accuses AT&T of illegally making communications on its networks available to the National Security Agency without warrants."

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/judge-rules-against-government-in/20060720151009990009?cid=2194