Snowden v United States by Matthew Homsher 9th

Summary: Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked thousands of classified intelligence documents, told supporters that he would be willing to return home, provided he is given a fair trial. Snowden shared his willingness to return home with a libertarian congress via Google Hangouts saying, “I’ve told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public defense of why this was done and allow a jury to decide.” The files Snowden shared, revealed the existence of mass surveillance programs run by the NSA and the British intelligence agency GCHQ to the public, including the bulk interception of phone calls and internet traffic. Snowden now resides in Russia and faces United States charges under the Espionage Act that could land him 30 years in prison. He has made several appeals to the government and is even willing to discuss a prison sentence, but he has not been contacted by the US Justice Department.

Synopsis: The Espionage Act was legislated in 1917 and has been amended several times. It was first created to punish traitors of war, but has been expanded to punish any who betray the US government. Snowden falls into that category. However, Snowden shared with the people what they needed to know about mass surveillance. As a US citizen, he is allowed a fair trial, but under the Espionage Act that right is stripped from him. If a trial does take place, then he is likely to have a rough time proving his innocence. This trial may offer the opportunity change the way Americans do surveillance, amend the Espionage Act, and make the government more open to the public.

For more information, click on the link below:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/21/edward-snowden-willing-to-return-to-us-fair-trial