FAS

Judge Mosman Named to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

05.09.13 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

Chief Justice John Roberts has appointed Judge Michael W. Mosman of the District of Oregon to serve as a judge on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

The appointment was effective May 4, 2013, and will extend through May 3, 2020, said Mr. Sheldon Snook, a spokesman for the Court.

Judge Mosman replaces Judge Roger Vinson, whose term on the surveillance court expired on May 3, 2013.

Judge Mosman, who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, is generally considered a conservative.  But last March he drew criticism from some on the political right after he granted bail to one Reaz Qadir Khan, who was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Judge Mosman ordered Khan’s release over the government’s objections after he determined that the defendant was not a flight risk or a danger to the community.

“Incredibly, the judge, Michael Mosman, a George W. Bush appointee, allowed Khan to walk free from the federal courthouse pending trial,” complained the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch in a March 11 posting.

The eleven-member Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court reviews applications from government agencies for electronic surveillance and physical search under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

In 2012, the Court approved 1,788 applications for electronic surveillance and denied none, as noted in a report to Congress last month.

publications
See all publications
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Strategies to Accelerate and Expand Access to the U.S. Innovation Economy

With targeted policy interventions, we can efficiently and effectively support the U.S. innovation economy through the translation of breakthrough scientific research from the lab to the market.

11.27.24 | 16 min read
read more
Government Capacity
day one project
Policy Memo
Collaborative Intelligence: Harnessing Crowd Forecasting for National Security

Crowd forecasting methods offer a systematic approach to quantifying the U.S. intelligence community’s uncertainty about the future and predicting the impact of interventions, allowing decision-makers to strategize effectively and allocate resources by outlining risks and tradeoffs in a legible format.

11.27.24 | 5 min read
read more
Clean Energy
day one project
Policy Memo
The Energy Transition Workforce Initiative

The energy transition underway in the United States continues to present a unique set of opportunities to put Americans back to work through the deployment of new technologies, infrastructure, energy efficiency, and expansion of the electricity system to meet our carbon goals.

11.27.24 | 5 min read
read more
Clean Energy
day one project
Policy Memo
Promoting Fusion Energy Leadership with U.S. Tritium Production Capacity

The United States has the only proven and scalable tritium production supply chain, but it is largely reserved for nuclear weapons. Excess tritium production capacity should be leveraged to ensure the success of and U.S. leadership in fusion energy.

11.26.24 | 12 min read
read more