Lawfare Daily: Inside the Law Letting Senators Sue Over Phone Data
Nov 25, 2025
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Senators' $500K Cause Of Action
A new law creates a civil cause of action letting senators recover $500,000 per instance when their phone or metadata are accessed, including in lawful investigations.
The provision was tucked into the government-reopening deal and appears targeted at subpoenas tied to the Jan. 6 investigations.
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What The Jan. 6 Subpoenas Took
Reported subpoenas in the Jack Smith investigation obtained toll records for multiple senators and a House member around Jan 4–7, 2023.
Those records were metadata (call times/duration/numbers), not call content, and a grand jury issued the subpoena.
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Separation Of Powers Framing
Critics argue the bill raises separation-of-powers concerns by chilling oversight and congressional independence when the executive collects legislators' communications.
Supporters frame it as protecting institutional prerogatives, but motives may include political grievance over Jan. 6 probes.
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Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes talks with Executive Editor Natalie Orpett and Senior Editor Michael Feinberg about their recent Lawfarearticle examining a little-noticed piece of legislation that was slipped into the deal to end the government shutdown—one that gives senators a civil right of action to sue the U.S. government when their phone or metadata is accessed without notice, with a payout of $500,000 per “instance.”
They discuss the potential consequences of the law for surveillance, separation of powers, and the relationship between Congress and law enforcement. It’s not just about senators getting paid, though the potential price tag is staggering. It’s about whether a broad, retroactive, and loosely defined cause of action undermines critical investigative tools and erodes the integrity of national security and criminal investigations.
