THIS IS NO SUPRISE

The Chief Judge of the FISA Court has acknowledged that the Court has to rely on information from the government and cannot initiate any investigation on its own.  This is NOT meaningful oversight.

Court: Ability to police U.S. spying program limited
By Carol D. Leonnig, Published: August 15
Washington Post

The chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said the court lacks the tools to independently verify how often the government’s surveillance breaks the court’s rules that aim to protect Americans’ privacy. Without taking drastic steps, it also cannot check the veracity of the government’s assertions that the violations its staff members report are unintentional mistakes.

“The FISC is forced to rely upon the accuracy of the information that is provided to the Court,” its chief, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, said in a written statement to The Washington Post. “The FISC does not have the capacity to investigate issues of noncompliance, and in that respect the FISC is in the same position as any other court when it comes to enforcing [government] compliance with its orders.”