Federal Judge Says NSA Phone Records Program is ‘Likely Unlawful’

A federal judge ruled on Monday that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of phone records “likely violates the Constitution.”

The judge, Richard Leon, had previously ruled in the case in 2013 to the same effect, but the government filed an appeal. The case subsequently came back to the Washington D.C. District Court, and he said he regretted not issuing an injunction, noting, “the loss of constitutional freedoms for even one day is a significant harm,” the Guardian reports.

Since the NSA program is scheduled to end on Nov. 29, some see the decision as merely symbolic. But whistleblower Edward Snowden celebrated the ruling on Twitter, calling it “historic.”

[The Guardian]