Did Supreme Court give telecoms immunity on intercepts?

Reuters:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down a legal challenge to the warrantless domestic spying program President George W. Bush created after the September 11 attacks.

The American Civil Liberties Union had asked the justices to hear the case after a lower court ruled the ACLU, other groups and individuals that sued the government had no legal right to do so because they could not prove they had been affected by the program.

The civil liberties group also asked the nation's highest court to make clear that Bush does not have the power under the U.S. Constitution to engage in intelligence surveillance within the United States that Congress has expressly prohibited.

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The high court's action means that Bush will be able to disregard whatever legislative eavesdropping restrictions Congress adopts as there will be no meaningful judicial review, the ACLU attorneys said.

The journalists, scholars, attorneys and national advocacy groups that filed the lawsuit said the illegal surveillance had disrupted their ability to communicate with sources and clients.

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Does this make the issue of telecoms immunity moot. Possibly, it does. It is a huge loss for the terrorist rights lobby and the trial lawyers who hoped to make big bucks from suing the government and the telecoms. It is also a loss for the Democrats who have been trying to interfere with the President's inherent authority to intercept enemy communications in a time of war. It is certainly good news for those who want to stop the next attack by the terrorist.