IP: RE: Senate votes to permit warrantless Net-wiretaps, Carn ivoreus e (fwd)

[Bill Stewart]

J.A. Terranson, measl at mfn.org, or some impostor wrote:
>This is TOTALLY and example of out-of-control police authority.  Courts
>are open 24 jours a day for the purposes of abtaining warrants, or for
>other emergencies - in EVERY court in the United States.  Doubt it?  Go
>to any courthouse where there is a real judge (not a local "magistrate" or
>equiv), and ask for a copy of the "Local Rules of Court".

Hear, hear!   That's particularly true for Feds pursuing terrorists -
there are enough Federal judges, either regular or FISA Star Chamber types,
that any cop who's doing something other than hot pursuit can get a warrant
any time they need to - and if Congress doesn't think this is the case,
the solution is not to drop the Constitution, it's to hire some extra judges
to work nights, and give them an internet connection to keep busy on slow 
nights.

What's much harder to do in real time is give the judge enough real evidence
for more than a rubber-stamp review.  Even that's better than nothing,
because it keeps the cops maintaining some pretense of respect for law
and creates accounting records of the warrants, but it's likely to be
pretty shoddy.