Electronic Surveillance and the American Constitutional System

This study seeks to determine whether governmental electronic surveillance--wiretapping, electronic eavesdropping and participant surveillance-- is in conflict with American traditions of liberty and limited government. Furthermore, it considers how our constitutional system, especially the institution of the Supreme Court, may cope with the practice.The author views his method as a political-legal approach. The effort draws upon works in political philosophy, testimony in legislative hearings, federal and state statutes, and secondary sources in political science. Moreover, much space is devoted to analyzing Court doctrines announced in the justices' written opinions.A copy of this dissertation is available at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library, KF9670.Z9 L3