Kangaroo Court

    A Kangaroo Court is a term used to describe a 'mock" court. Usually set up to give the appearance that real justice is going on when it is just a show. An example of a Kangaroo Court is the F.I.S.A Court, named after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. F.I.S.A. was established to oversee requests for surveillance of foreign targets inside the United States by the F.B.I or C.I.A. As the power of the F.I.S.A Court grows, the question of constitutionality often comes up. There are 11 judges who have become almost as influential as the Supreme Court. F.I.S.A is a kangaroo Court because there is only one side being heard. A true court hears both sides of a case. This is the way the justice system was set up.

     Most of the public knows nothing about this secretive and controversial court. Since 1978 the power of the F.I.S.A Court has continued to increase. It is the F.I.S.A Court that gives the N.S.A permission to spy on Americans not suspected of a crime. The court itself was originally established to give the F.B.I permission to spy on Americans only with a warrant. We now know from the news that the N.S.A collects phone & computer data from all Americans with No warrant. So when did this start? Sept 11th 2001 was the day everything changed. Under the Patriot Act the government gained incredible free reign and the mass surveillance began. F.I.S.A is unlike the Supreme Court where an argument is made by one party and defended by another. Let me break this down further. There is a secret court in the United States that only hears the Government's side of a case, and the verdict can not be appealed or even reviewed by the public. It is very frightening that we have a court in which its rulings are free from public criticisms. This is the recipe for corruption, plain and simple. This kind of power can not continue unchecked. Checks and balances were put in place for a reason.

     I wish I had more information about the F.I.S.A Court but it is all a secret. All of the hearings and even the operating rules are classified, only the Government and the Judges know what is said and done. Is it legal for a court to operate in secret? Legal is such a fuzzy term these days. A better question would be- Is it constitutional? That answer is no!- BDB


Sources- (Google Images)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Foreign_Intelligence_Surveillance_Court

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/even-fisa-court-judge-says-its-a-kangaroo-court.html