This course provides an in-depth study of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), its amendments, Section 215 of the U.S. PATRIOT ACT, and the USA Freedom Act. Examination of how these laws have evolved over the past 40 years into the current legal framework utilized by the national security community today. Study of the historical underpinnings for FISA and how similar laws have been reexamined. Topics also include identifying the circumstances for pursuing different types of FISAs, discerning the specific provisions of FISA that apply to a set of circumstances and the requirements for an application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. This course also includes the study of the significant tension between balancing national security interests with U.S. citizens’ Privacy and Civil Liberty Rights. (Examination and exercises)