Feds Want Idaho Lawsuit on NSA Thrown Out

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Lawyers for the federal government are asking U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill to throw out a lawsuit filed against President Barack Obama and top security officials over the National Security Administration's mass surveillance of phone records.

Winmill heard arguments from both sides Thursday on a motion to dismiss the case, then took it under advisement and said he would rule at a later date. The case was heard in Coeur d'Alene. Lawyers for plaintiff Anna Smith contend the Coeur d'Alene woman's constitutional rights under the First and Fourth Amendments were violated and that the lawsuit should proceed.

But a lawyer for the Justice Department said the mass collection of telephone records was legal and that there was no expectation of privacy in the telephone numbers that people dialed.