Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Warrants Fell In 2008

May 19, 2009 8:53 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The Department of Justice has filed its annual report with Congress detailing applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) for authority to conduct electronic surveillance. In 2008, the government made 2,082 requests, down from 2,370 in 2007.

"The 2,082 applications include applications made solely for electronic surveillance, applications made solely for physical search, and combined applications requesting authority for electronic surveillance and physical search," the DoJ reported.

Only one request was denied during the entire calendar year. This was also the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks that the government sought less surveillance orders.