Brennan Law offices, one of the nation’s oldest law firms, filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to overturn a recent executive order that expanded the scope of NSA surveillance.
In a letter to President Obama, Brennan Law said the order, issued by President Donald Trump in March, was an “unauthorized and unlawful exercise of executive authority” that violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The executive order expanded the use of NSA data mining programs and expanded the collection of data by the NSA’s National Security Agency and the FBI.
The letter also asked the judge presiding over the case to “preserve this order as the law of the land,” saying the order was “unconstitutional.”
Brennan Law is representing three former employees of the law firm, all of whom are former government employees.
The office is represented by lawyer Christopher W. Ryan.
In a letter sent to the judge on Wednesday, Ryan said the office “wishes to express our profound disappointment” with the ruling and the order that it cited.
Ryan wrote that he believes the judge’s ruling was “inappropriate” and said it would have a “serious impact on the people of the United States” and their rights under the Constitution.
“It is unfortunate that this ruling was issued at a time when the government is conducting a sweeping and unconstitutional surveillance program,” Ryan wrote.
The law firm also is seeking an injunction to stop the order from taking effect, and to stop NSA employees from accessing the information the company collected under the order.