Shedding Light on the PRISM of Government

Recent revelations regarding the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs have ignited a fierce national debate over core fundamental constitutional privacy principles that underpin American democracy. What is the impact of the NSA surveillance programs on democratic governance, and what do measures by the President and activity in the courts portend for the program, privacy rights and constitutional jurisprudence? How does the existence of these programs, along with post 9-11 detention and interrogation measures, covert targeted killings, and a surreptitious FISA court inform our national conversation regarding government accountability and transparency? This panel explored these questions and whether it is truly possible to balance the government’s interest in national security and the public’s interest in privacy and transparency.

Speakers:

Jamie S. Gorelick, Partner, WilmerHale
Jameel Jaffer, Deputy Legal Director, ACLU Foundation; Director, ACLU Center for Democracy
Neomi Rao, Associate Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law
Peter Swire, Nancy J. and Lawrence P. Huang Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business
Stephen I. Vladeck, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Scholarship, American University Washington College of Law