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The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (often abbreviated FISA court or FISC) is a [[United States]] court established by the 1978 [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]], and is intended to provide judicial oversight for government agents who wish to engage in electronic surveillance, searches, and similar activities targeted at foreign nationals.  It is a secret court, meeting in private so as to deter targets from becoming aware of the surveillance, while still providing [[American]] citizens communicating with foreign parties the rights ensured by the [[Fourth Amendment]] to the [[Constitution of the United States]].

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (often abbreviated FISA court or FISC) is a [[United States]] court established by the 1978 [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]].

 

Following the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, in 2002 [[President]] [[Bush]] controversially bypassed the FISA court and ordered the [[National Security Agency]] to engage in electronic surveillance of conversations of [[American]] citizens with foreign nationals without a warrant from the court.<ref>"Bush Lets US Spy on Callers Without Courts" New York Times, Dec. 16, 2005</ref>  The later passage of the 2007 [[Protect America Act]] contained provisions to grant the President the power to legally circumvent the FISC, but some allege that this means that such surveillance prior to the Protect America Act was in violation of the Constitution.