Here at FindLaw, we understand the pressures of being a legal professional – most of us are recovering lawyers – so we want to help by tossing you that preferred life preserver of the legal profession, the short list. Today’s offering: National Security Letters.

National Security Letters are the “Fight Club” of legal documents. The first rule of National Security Letters is: Do not talk about National Security Letters. But that’s changing. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco ordered the government to stop issuing NSLs, though she tempered that order with a 90-day stay to give the feds a chance to appeal, Wired reports.

Before the appeal happens, here are five things you should know about NSLs:

Related Resources:

  • In re: 2011 National Security Letter (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
  • Google Transparency Reveals FBI’s Use of National Security Letters (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • The Downside to the Humblebrag: CIA Can’t Deny Drone Docs (FindLaw’s D.C. Circuit Blog)
  • ACLU v. National Security Agency: Why the “State Secrets Privilege” Shouldn’t Stop the Lawsuit Challenging Warrantless Telephone Surveillance of Americans (FindLaw)

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