The American Bar Association denounced President Bush's warrantless domestic surveillance program Monday, accusing him of exceeding his powers under the Constitution.
The program has prompted a heated debate about presidential powers in the war on terror since it was disclosed in December.
The nation's largest organization of lawyers adopted a policy opposing any future government use of electronic surveillance in the United States for foreign intelligence purposes without first obtaining warrants from a special court set up under the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The 400,000-member ABA said that if the president believes the FISA is inadequate to protect Americans, he should ask Congress to amend the act.