Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73not60

§3109 Significant Interpretations of Law Concerning Intelligence Activities

Title 50 › Chapter 44— NATIONAL SECURITY › Subchapter III— ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES › § 3109

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each intelligence agency's top lawyer must, while still protecting truly secret sources and methods, write to the congressional intelligence committees about any major legal reading of the Constitution or federal law that they relied on to begin an intelligence activity. The notice must arrive within 30 days after the activity starts and must include a short summary of the legal reading and the activity done under it. No notice is needed if the committees were already told or if the legal reading was made before July 7, 2014. If the President limits who may see a covert-action finding, the President can also limit who in Congress sees the related notice to only those who already have access to that finding.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §3109

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)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)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)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)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

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60