DHAKA: The National Security Agency notched a much-needed win in court Friday after a series of setbacks over the legality and even the usefulness of its massive data collection program.

A federal judge in New York ruled the NSA`s bulk collection of data on nearly every phone call made in the United States was legal, reports CNN.

The ruling contrasts with another ruling last week by a federal judge in Washington, who called the same program "almost Orwellian" and likely unconstitutional.

In his ruling Friday, U.S. District Judge William Pauley said the NSA`s bulk collection of phone records under Section 215 of the Patriot Act was legal. The program was revealed in classified leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

"But the question of whether that program should be conducted is for the other two coordinate branches of government to decide," said the ruling by Pauley, an appointee of President Bill Clinton.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the case, said it would appeal Pauley`s ruling.

"We are extremely disappointed with this decision, which misinterprets the relevant statutes, understates the privacy implications of the government`s surveillance and misapplies a narrow and outdated precedent to read away core constitutional protections," said Jameel Jaffer, the ACLU`s deputy legal director.

BDST:  0844 HRS, DEC 28, 2013
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