Warrantless Wiretapping Suit Is ‘Grave’ Risk to National Security

National security would be jeopardized if a class action challenging the National Security Agency’s warrantless communications surveillance program continued, a federal court ruled.

Judge Jeffrey S. White of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said he couldn’t determine if the plaintiffs had standing to sue without exposing classified information that might imperil national security.

The court’s extensive review of classified materials showed that an attempt to prove the specific facts about the program would risk disclosure of sources and methods of intelligence-gathering activities, he said.

The state secrets privilege also required dismissal despite multiple public disclosures ...