Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-110

§3109 Significant Interpretations of Law Concerning Intelligence Activities

Title 50 › CHAPTER 44 — NATIONAL SECURITY › SUBCHAPTER III — ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES › § 3109

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The top lawyer for each intelligence agency must write to the intelligence committees in Congress when the agency adopts a major legal view about the Constitution or federal law that it uses to carry out an intelligence activity. The notice must arrive within 30 days after the activity begins and must summarize the legal view and the activity. No notice is needed if the committees were already told or if the legal view was made before July 7, 2014. If the President decides it is essential to keep a covert-action finding tightly controlled, he may limit who in Congress gets the notice to only those already cleared to see that finding.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §3109

War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notification

Except as provided in subsection (c) and to the extent consistent with due regard for the protection from unauthorized disclosure of classified information relating to sensitive intelligence sources and methods or other exceptionally sensitive matters, the General Counsel of each element of the intelligence community shall notify the congressional intelligence committees, in writing, of any significant legal interpretation of the United States Constitution or Federal law affecting intelligence activities conducted by such element by not later than 30 days after the date of the commencement of any intelligence activity pursuant to such interpretation.

(b)Content

Each notification under subsection (a) shall provide a summary of the significant legal interpretation and the intelligence activity or activities conducted pursuant to such interpretation.

(c)Exceptions

A notification under subsection (a) shall not be required for a significant legal interpretation if—

(1)notice of the significant legal interpretation was previously provided to the congressional intelligence committees under subsection (a); or

(2)the significant legal interpretation was made before July 7, 2014.

(d)Limited access for covert action

If the President determines that it is essential to limit access to a covert action finding under section 3093(c)(2) of this title, the President may limit access to information concerning such finding that is subject to notification under this section to those members of Congress who have been granted access to the relevant finding under section 3093(c)(2) of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 3109

Title 50, War and National Defense

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110