Supreme Court Says Eavesdropping Law Can't Be Challenged

Plaintiffs can't prove harm and thus don't have standing

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said plaintiffs cannot challenge a federal law that allows eavesdropping on international conversations involving Americans, a case touching on government efforts to fight terrorism.

By a 5-4 vote, the country's highest court said lawyers, journalists and human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch did not have legal standing to sue because they could not show they had suffered any injury.