A huge victory for critics of illegal wiretapping programs

The legal proceedings following a federal court's March 2010 ruling in Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation (AHIF) v. Obama that the government illegally wiretapped the charity and two of its lawyers from Feb. 19, 2004 to Sept. 9, 2004.

The case is the only legal challenge to Bush-era illegal surveillance programs that survived in court, because AHIF and its lawyers were able to show they had been subject to surveillance by using public records and statements. In March 2010 Chief

Judge Vaughn Walker of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the Bush administration had illegally wire tapped AHIF's phone conversations with its two American lawyers because it failed to obtain a warrant as required by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Under FISA Al-Haramain and the lawyers are entitled to damages of $100 for each day of illegal surveillance (a total of 204 days). On April 16, 2010 they filed a proposed judgment asking for $20,400 per plaintiff under this formula. They also asked for punitive damages of $183,600 per plaintiff, citing the abuse of executive power involved. This is where the unusual problem comes up, since AHIF has been placed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list. As a result, it is illegal for any U.S. person to have any transaction with it 

Judge Vaughn Walker of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the Bush administration had illegally wire tapped AHIF's phone conversations with its two American lawyers because it failed to obtain a warrant as required by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Under FISA Al-Haramain and the lawyers are entitled to damages of $100 for each day of illegal surveillance (a total of 204 days). On April 16, 2010 they filed a proposed judgment asking for $20,400 per plaintiff under this formula. They also asked for punitive damages of $183,600 per plaintiff, citing the abuse of executive power involved. This is where the unusual problem comes up, since AHIF has been placed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list. As a result, it is illegal for any U.S. person to have any transaction with it.