[secret] Spy court clears path to renewing NSA powers

Spy court clears path to renewing NSA powers | 19 June 2015 | The secretive federal court that oversees the nation's spies is laying the groundwork for temporarily reauthorizing the National Security Agency's (NSA) sweeping collection of U.S. phone records. In an order released on Friday, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said that a brief lapse in some Patriot Act provisions would not bar the court from renewing the NSA's powers. Although the court asserted its ability to renew the controversial NSA program, it has yet to issue an order giving a green light to the spy agency. The court also decided that it doesn't need the advice of a new expert panel, in its first-ever opportunity to use the friend-of-the-court analysis.