A New Judge for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the Eastern District of New York was appointed to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on July 2 by the Chief Justice of the United States.
The 11-member FIS Court rules on applications for domestic intelligence surveillance and physical search under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Judge Dearie replaces Judge Malcolm Howard whose seven-year term expired on May 18, 2012.
Judge Dearie’s appointment last week was confirmed today by Sheldon L. Snook, a spokesman for the Court. The current membership of the FIS Court may be found here.
Judge Dearie was nominated to the federal bench by President Reagan in February 1986.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has played a role in at least one case presided over by Judge Dearie, namely that of Najibullah Zazi. In 2009, prosecutors in that case gave notice of their intent to use evidence obtained through FISA surveillance. In the event, Zazi pled guilty in 2010 to multiple charges of conspiracy and support for a terrorist organization.
DNA synthesis and export controls remain the primary regulatory safeguards against de novo production of harmful biological agents, yet governance frameworks lack the situational awareness and enforcement capacity to keep pace with rapidly falling technical barriers.
Called today to speak on behalf of U.S. science and technology, Dr. Jedidah Isler, astrophysicist, educator, strategist, policy-maker, and science communicator, will provide constructive, nonpartisan feedback to the House Committee’s hearing “American Global Competitiveness at 250: Legislative Proposals to Secure U.S. Technology Leadership.”
“Federal data and access to it is not a partisan issue. It is a people issue. Our country cannot achieve greatness without access to the data that measure what we value, who we are, and where we’re heading.”
The United States’ biosecurity governance system is structurally incapable of detecting and responding to certain classes of threats. U.S. biosecurity tools have not kept pace with technological advancements or a changing threat landscape.