The narrative has always seemed to be "check out how the NSA is going crazy over here!". But the reality is "check out how all these politicians are voting in these new laws allowing this to take place!"
I'd like to beg your pardon, because I'm not from the US. I'm British, so I'm sure there are large contextual elements of this situation I'm not understanding. But can anyone explain to me how this can happen?
I mean, I've grown up being told that there are two types of legal framework for a country: ones with a constitution and ones without. In countries without a constitution, like Britain, the politicians can do whatever they like. In fact, it's always a big principle in the UK that parliament cannot bind its successors:
But in a country with a constitution, I always thought that wasn't correct. If a politician wants to change the law they can, except where that conflicts with the constitution.
Now, my understanding of America is that it has strong constitutional safeguards in place for such things as free speech and unreasonable searches.
Isn't there some constitutional court that people can take this kind of thing, to find out if it all really is legal? Because if politicians really can make any law they want, surely you don't actually have a constitution in the US at all?
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I'd like to beg your pardon, because I'm not from the US. I'm British, so I'm sure there are large contextual elements of this situation I'm not understanding. But can anyone explain to me how this can happen?
I mean, I've grown up being told that there are two types of legal framework for a country: ones with a constitution and ones without. In countries without a constitution, like Britain, the politicians can do whatever they like. In fact, it's always a big principle in the UK that parliament cannot bind its successors:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_sovereignty
But in a country with a constitution, I always thought that wasn't correct. If a politician wants to change the law they can, except where that conflicts with the constitution.
Now, my understanding of America is that it has strong constitutional safeguards in place for such things as free speech and unreasonable searches.
Isn't there some constitutional court that people can take this kind of thing, to find out if it all really is legal? Because if politicians really can make any law they want, surely you don't actually have a constitution in the US at all?