The U.S. Supreme Court on June 15 declined to hear an appeal from former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who sued over alleged FBI surveillance abuses during the Trump-Russia investigation. The decision effectively ends Page’s legal challenge against former federal officials, including ex-FBI Director James Comey.
The case stemmed from the FBI’s surveillance of Page under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) between 2016 and 2017. Page argued the surveillance was unlawful, relying on the discredited Steele dossier as justification. The Justice Department’s inspector general later found 17 significant errors and omissions in the FBI’s FISA applications.
In 2022, a federal judge dismissed most of Page’s claims, allowing only a narrower challenge against the government agencies involved. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the appeal means the case is now closed. The Justice Department had previously settled with Page for $1.25 million, though the settlement did not cover claims against individual FBI officials.
Page’s lawsuit alleged that the FBI’s surveillance was predicated on flawed intelligence and violated his constitutional rights. The FBI has since acknowledged that it should have ended the surveillance earlier. The case has been closely watched as part of broader debates over government surveillance and the Trump-Russia investigation.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself from the case, as she had previously been assigned it while serving on a lower court. The Supreme Court’s decision came without comment, as is typical for cases it declines to hear.