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Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73

§1871 Semiannual report of the Attorney General

Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 36— - FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - OVERSIGHT › § 1871

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Attorney General must send a report every six months to four Congressional committees — the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and the House and Senate Judiciary Committees — in a way that protects national security. Each report must cover the prior six months and give the total number of people targeted under this chapter, with a breakdown by type of order (including electronic surveillance under section 1805, physical searches under section 1824, pen registers under section 1842, access to records under section 1861, and acquisitions under sections 1881b and 1881c). The report must also say how many people were covered by orders under section 1801(b)(1)(C), how often information obtained under this chapter was authorized for use in criminal cases, a summary of important legal interpretations made in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or Court of Review (including DOJ arguments), and copies of any court decisions or orders that include significant interpretations. The first report was due not later than 6 months after December 17, 2004, and reports must follow every six months after that. Within 45 days after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or Court of Review issues a decision or order that makes a significant legal interpretation or a new application of the law, the Attorney General must give the committees a copy of that decision and related filings. The Attorney General must also provide copies of qualifying decisions from the 5-year period ending on July 10, 2008, if not already sent. For hearings with transcripts, the Attorney General must notify the committees within 45 days after the government gets the final transcript or the matter is resolved, and must help a committee review a transcript within 3 business days of a request. Copies of declassified documents reviewed under section 1872 must be provided. The Attorney General, with the Director of National Intelligence, may redact only sensitive sources and methods or target identities to protect national security. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is the court created under section 1803(a). The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review is the court created under section 1803(b).

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §1871

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)On a semiannual basis, the Attorney General shall submit to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, and the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in a manner consistent with the protection of the national security, a report setting forth with respect to the preceding 6-month period—
(1)the aggregate number of persons targeted for orders issued under this chapter, including a breakdown of those targeted for—
(A)electronic surveillance under section 1805 of this title;
(B)physical searches under section 1824 of this title;
(C)pen registers under section 1842 of this title;
(D)access to records under section 1861 11 See References in Text note below. of this title;
(E)acquisitions under section 1881b of this title; and
(F)acquisitions under section 1881c of this title;
(2)the number of individuals covered by an order issued pursuant to section 1801(b)(1)(C) 1 of this title;
(3)the number of times that the Attorney General has authorized that information obtained under this chapter may be used in a criminal proceeding or any information derived therefrom may be used in a criminal proceeding;
(4)a summary of significant legal interpretations of this chapter involving matters before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, including interpretations presented in applications or pleadings filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review by the Department of Justice; and
(5)copies of all decisions, orders, or opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review that include significant construction or interpretation of the provisions of this chapter.
(b)The first report under this section shall be submitted not later than 6 months after December 17, 2004. Subsequent reports under this section shall be submitted semi-annually thereafter.
(c)The Attorney General shall submit to the committees of Congress referred to in subsection (a)—
(1)not later than 45 days after the date on which the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review issues a decision, order, or opinion, including any denial or modification of an application under this chapter, that includes significant construction or interpretation of any provision of law or results in a change of application of any provision of this chapter or a novel application of any provision of this chapter, a copy of such decision, order, or opinion and any pleadings, applications, or memoranda of law associated with such decision, order, or opinion;
(2)a copy of each such decision, order, or opinion, and any pleadings, applications, or memoranda of law associated with such decision, order, or opinion, that was issued during the 5-year period ending on July 10, 2008, and not previously submitted in a report under subsection (a);
(3)for any hearing, oral argument, or other proceeding before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review for which a court reporter produces a transcript, not later than 45 days after the government receives the final transcript or the date on which the matter of the hearing, oral argument, or other proceeding is resolved, whichever is later, a notice of the existence of such transcript. Not later than three business days after a committee referred to in subsection (a) requests to review an existing transcript, the Attorney General shall facilitate such request; and
(4)a copy of each declassified document that has undergone review under section 1872 of this title.
(d)The Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, may authorize redactions of materials described in subsection (c) that are provided to the committees of Congress referred to in subsection (a), if such redactions are necessary to protect the national security of the United States and are limited to sensitive sources and methods information or the identities of targets.
(e)In this section:
(1)The term “Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court” means the court established under section 1803(a) of this title.
(2)The term “Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review” means the court established under section 1803(b) of this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Amendment of Subsection (a)(1)Pub. L. 110–261, title IV, § 403(b)(2),
July 10, 2008, 122 Stat. 2474, as amended by Pub. L. 112–238, § 2(a)(2), Dec. 30, 2012, 126 Stat. 1631; Pub. L. 115–118, title II, § 201(a)(2), Jan. 19, 2018, 132 Stat. 19; Pub. L. 118–31, div. G, title IX, § 7902(a)(1), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 1108; Pub. L. 118–49, § 19(a)(2), Apr. 20, 2024, 138 Stat. 891, provided that, except as provided in section 404 of Pub. L. 110–261, set out as a note under section 1801 of this title, effective two years after the date of enactment of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, Pub. L. 118–49, which was approved Apr. 20, 2024, subsection (a)(1) of this section is amended to read as it read on the day before
July 10, 2008.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (c)(1), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 95–511, Oct. 25, 1978, 92 Stat. 1783, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1801 of this title and Tables. section 1861 of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(1)(D), means section 1861 of this title prior to the amendment of section 1861 by Pub. L. 109–177, title I, § 102(b), Mar. 9, 2006, 120 Stat. 195, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2006 Amendment note under section 1805 of this title, which amended section 1861 of this title, effective Mar. 15, 2020, so that such section read as it read on Oct. 25, 2001, with certain exceptions. section 1801(b)(1)(C) of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), was temporarily added by Pub. L. 108–458, title VI, § 6001(a), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3742, and provided that, as used in subchapter I of this chapter, the term “agent of a foreign power” included any person other than a United States person who “engages in international terrorism or activities in preparation therefore”. Such amendment ceased to have effect on Mar. 15, 2020; see section 6001(b) of Pub. L. 108–458, set out as a Termination Date of 2004 Amendment note under section 1801 of this title.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 601 of Pub. L. 95–511 was renumbered section 701 and was set out as a note under section 1801 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 110–261.

Amendments

2024—Subsec. (c)(3), (4). Pub. L. 118–49 added pars. (3) and (4). 2015—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 114–23 amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “a copy of any decision, order, or opinion issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review that includes significant

Construction

or interpretation of any provision of this chapter, and any pleadings, applications, or memoranda of law associated with such decision, order, or opinion, not later than 45 days after such decision, order, or opinion is issued; and”. 2008—Subsec. (a)(1)(E), (F). Pub. L. 110–261, § 101(c)(2), added subpars. (E) and (F). Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 110–261, § 103(a), substituted “, orders,” for “(not including orders)”. Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 110–261, § 103(b), added subsecs. (c) and (d). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 110–261, § 103(c), added subsec. (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2008 Amendment Pub. L. 110–261, title IV, § 403(b)(2), July 10, 2008, 122 Stat. 2474, as amended by Pub. L. 112–238, § 2(a)(2), Dec. 30, 2012, 126 Stat. 1631; Pub. L. 115–118, title II, § 201(a)(2), Jan. 19, 2018, 132 Stat. 19; Pub. L. 118–31, div. G, title IX, § 7902(a)(1), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 1108; Pub. L. 118–49, § 19(a)(2), Apr. 20, 2024, 138 Stat. 891, provided that, except as provided in section 404 of Pub. L. 110–261, set out as a Transition Procedures note under section 1801 of this title, the

Amendments

made by section 403(b)(2) are effective two years after the date of enactment of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, Pub. L. 118–49, which was approved Apr. 20, 2024.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 1871

Title 50 — War and National Defense

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73