The National Security Agency's collection of data about most calls made in the U.S. is legal, a federal judge ruled, dismissing a significant court challenge and setting the stage for a bigger legal battle over secret surveillance programs. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III in Manhattan sided with the government in his decision, calling the collection program a vital tool that represents the government's "counter-punch" against al Qaeda's diffuse terror network. The ruling comes less than two weeks after a federal judge in the District of Columbia took on the same issue and concluded in strong language that the program "almost certainly" violates the Constitution/Jennifer Smith & Jacob Gershman, Wall Street Journal. More here.

Question: Do you agree/disagree with Judge Pauley's decision?

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