DOJ: If we can track one American, we can track all Americans

Seven months after his conviction, Basaaly Moalin’s defense attorney moved for a new trial, arguing that evidence collected about him under the government’s recently disclosed dragnet telephone surveillance program violated his constitutional and statutory rights.

Moalin’s is the only thwarted "terrorist plot" against America that the government says also "critically" relied on the National Security Agency phone surveillance program, conducted under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. The government’s filing is a heavily redacted opposition arguing that when law enforcement can monitor one person’s information without a warrant, it can monitor everyone’s information, “regardless of the collection’s expanse.” Notably, the government is also arguing that no one other than the company that provided the information -- including the defendant in this case -- has the right to challenge this disclosure in court.