May 11, 2006 1:45PM 

# Kerr on the NSA Database 

By [Gene Healy](https://www.cato.org/people/gene-healy) 

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Over at the [Volokh Conspiracy](http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2006_05_07-2006_05_13.shtml#1147361955), Orin Kerr has an informative first cut at the legal issues surrounding the NSA’s newly revealed phone-call-record database. Bottom line: Whether you think the program is unlawful is likely going to depend on whether you think Article II allows the president to bypass statutes that infringe on tactics he wants to pursue in the war on terror.

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) 

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