by Jeffrey L. Vagle
New York University Press
12/5/2017, hardcover
SKU: 9781479809271
A riveting history of the Supreme Court decision that set the legal precedent for citizen challenges to government surveillance
The tension between national security and civil rights is nowhere more evident than in the fight over government domestic surveillance. Governments must be able to collect information at some level, but surveillance has become increasingly controversial due to its more egregious uses and abuses, which tips the balance toward increased--and sometimes total--government control.This struggle came to forefront in the early 1970s, after decades of abuses by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies were revealed to the public, prompting both legislation and lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of these programs. As the plaintiffs in these lawsuits discovered, however, bringing legal challenges to secret government surveillance programs in federal courts faces a formidable obstacle in the principle that limits court access only to those who have standing, meaning they can show actual or imminent injury--a significant problem when evidence of the challenged program is secret.
In Being Watched, Jeffrey L. Vagle draws on the legacy of the 1972 Supreme Court decision in Laird v. Tatum to tell the fascinating and disturbing story of jurisprudence related to the issue of standing in citizen challenges to government surveillance in the United States. It examines the facts of surveillance cases and the reasoning of the courts who heard them, and considers whether the obstacle of standing to surveillance challenges in U.S. courts can ever be overcome.
Vagle journeys through a history of military domestic surveillance, tensions between the three branches of government, the powers of the presidency in times of war, and the power of individual citizens in the ongoing quest for the elusive freedom-organization balance. The history brings to light the remarkable number of similarities among the contexts in which government surveillance thrives, including overzealous military and intelligent agencies and an ideologically fractured Supreme Court. More broadly, Being Watched looks at our democratic system of government and its ability to remain healthy and intact during times of national crisis.
A compelling history of a Supreme Court decision and its far-reaching consequences, Being Watched is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the legal justifications for--and objections to--surveillance.
Reviews:
"To most non-lawyers, 'standing' is an arcane legal principle. But understanding what it is and what it means is essential to understanding why the courts have not been an effective check on improper government surveillance. Vagle explains it all, very clearly, and explains what it means for privacy and civil liberties."--Steven M. Bellovin, Columbia University
"How many Americans realize that a wide array government surveillance practices has been effectively shielded from judicial review because of obscure legal rules about who has the requisite standing to sue? In Being Watched, Jeffrey Vagle weaves together cultural, social, and legal history to tell a tale about how Americas surveillance regime has largely managed to steer clear of meaningful checks and balances. Being Watched is an experts account of government surveillance in America stretching from the Civil War to our present post-Snowden moment, filled with details useful to the scholar and the general public alike."--Ben Wizner, Director, Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, American Civil Liberties Union
About the Author:
Jeffrey L. Vagle is Lecturer in Law and Executive Director of the Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. His research interests include surveillance law, cryptography and cybersecurity law, electronic privacy, Internet architecture, and networked economies and societies. A particular focus of his work is the study of the societal, political, historical, and economic effects of government surveillance, especially among marginalized or disenfranchised populations.