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United States · Bill · S

S. 3420 (116th)

USA FREEDOM Extension and Amici Curiae Reform Act of 2020

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

9 March 2020

Last action

9 March 2020 · Introduced

Status

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT], Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]

Subjects

Defence

Source updated

10 August 2026

Defence

Summary

USA FREEDOM Extension and Amici Curiae Reform Act of 2020 This bill expands the role and authority of amici curiae (outside parties appointed to assist courts in deciding certain cases) in proceedings before courts established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). The bill also extends certain FISA-authorized investigative powers, including the power to access certain business records for foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations, to June 19, 2020. The bill expands the circumstances under which a FISA court shall appoint an amicus, such as when a case involves (1) a significant First Amendment issue, or (2) a request for approval of a new program or technology. Currently, the statute directs a FISA court to appoint an amicus only when a case involves a novel or significant interpretation of the law. Under the bill, an amicus may (1) raise any issue at any time even if the court did not request assistance on that issue, (2) access un-redacted copies of relevant FISA court documents and related information, and (3) petition the FISA Court of Review or the Supreme Court to review a decision by a FISA-authorized court.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 9 March 2020

    Introduced

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 9 March 2020

    Introduced

    Introduced in Senate

    Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Documents

3 official files

Introduced in Senate (text)

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  • Introduced in Senate (text)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 9 March 2020

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Introduced in Senate (PDF)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 9 March 2020

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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  • Introduced in Senate

    summary · EN · 9 March 2020

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Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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