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Thom's blog
Edward Snowden helps clear legal hurdles for the EFF!
Thanks to Edward Snowden, a federal court may finally hear the Electronic Frontier Foundation's case defending our Fourth Amendment rights. Long before the whistle-blower exposed top secret NSA documents, the EFF was fighting to protect our privacy. The organization has filed multiple lawsuits against the NSA for spying on Americans, but until now the government has been able to convince the courts to block the EFF cases using legal technicalities like “standing” and “state secrets”. But, those technical hurdles have been cleared since our nation found out about the NSA's massive surveillance programs.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White rejected the government's attempt to block the lawsuit using the so-called “state secrets” defense. Judge White dismissed other parts of the lawsuit, but allowed the Fourth Amendment claims to go forward. He ordered both parties to present more evidence on the constitutionality of government surveillance, and requested a briefing from officials explaining exactly how leaked NSA documents affected national security. The ruling was not a clear win for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, but it removed one of the huge barriers the organization faced in its legal challenge. Cindy Cohen, the EFF's legal director, said, “That is huge. That was the centerpiece of the government's defense.”
When Edward Snowden revealed that Americans were, in fact, being spied on, the EFF and other privacy organizations cleared the first major hurdle, as they can now prove they have a right to challenge government surveillance in court. And, this recent ruling removed the NSA's second line of defense to a legal challenge. The only barrier now to a constitutional challenge is so-called “sovereign immunity” - which means these organizations can't sue the government unless the government allows them to do so. It is still a major hurdle, but the EFF isn't giving up without a fight. Stay tuned.
-Thom
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Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 9pm... Walmart...pay a living wage or get out! (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT, and catch past shows on Youtube)
Need to Know: Walmart...pay a living wage or get out!
The Best of the Rest...
FOX or Fact...?- Jeff Cohen, Park Center for Independent Media 
Daily Take: America First
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Tuesday's Daily Stack 
Hour One: Americans need to see the violence of war, police and torture...
The Big Picture- Nate Sweet, The Big Picture producer
Hour Three: Zimmerman trial...the good, the bad and the ugly - Debbie Hines, Legal Speaks
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Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET
Hour One: Shouldn't we call an end to Empire?- John Wohlstetter, Discovery Institute
America First...
Hour Two: Walmart...pay a living wage or get out!
Latest on E.F.F. vs. government surveillance- Trevor Timm, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Hour Three: America now executing the mentally challenged?- Josh Marquis, Clatsop County D.A.
And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...
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Thursday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET
We'll have the latest news on Fukushima and it's not good...
Plus, why are some environmentalists jumping on the nuclear power bandwagon?
And, Moral Mondays are heating up in North Carolina...we'll tell you why and how you can help...
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Thom's Poll
Should D.C. make Wal-Mart pay its workers a living wage?
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Watch & Listen to Thom
Americans - Open Your Eyes to the Violence you Have Created
Crazy? 100 yr old Wants a Dick for her Birthday...Really!?
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Wisconsin has Discovered Something Very Creepy in their Woods!
Politics Panel - More Bang for Your Buck w/Living Wage
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Thom Hartmann on the News: July 9, 2013
Trans Pacific Partnership: The End of American Democracy
Can ALL jobs in America be outsourced?
The High Cost of College
Caller: I Know how the GOP is Suppressing the Women Vote
How Will the GOP Suppress the Women Vote?
Zimmerman Trial: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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