FISA Judge Rosemary Collyer Stepping Down Early Following Rare Public Rebuke Of Comey-Led FBI

President of Judicial Watch, Tom Fitton called Collyer stepping down an "interesting development."

Why do you think Judge Collyer is leaving?

The New York Times had the following to say about Collyer's early resignation:

A secretive court that oversees national security surveillance has taken a step toward addressing dysfunction in the system detailed in a recent inspector general report, ordering the Justice Department to identify all cases that an F.B.I. lawyer heavily criticized in the report has worked on, according to an order made public on Friday. 

Separately, the court announced that its presiding judge, Rosemary M. Collyer, is stepping down nine weeks earlier than planned for health reasons. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. of the Supreme Court has selected Judge James E. Boasberg to succeed her in that role in the new year. He will be the first judge appointed by a Democrat to lead the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court since 1995.

The developments underscored that the court has entered a period of turmoil and change after the report this month by the Justice Department inspector general that uncovered damning inaccuracies and omissions in applications to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page.

For some background on the FISA court's rebuke of the FBI and James Comey, which occured just before Judge Collyer announced her resignation, The Washington Times said:

The FBI said Friday it has complied with a demand from the government’s  secret surveillance court to detail all the cases that may have been  tainted by the disgraced former bureau lawyer who falsified information  in order to target the Trump campaign.

                                                                                                                                                        

The bureau was facing a deadline set by Judge Rosemary M. Collyer of the  Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to explain itself in light of  last week’s inspector general’s report that found major missteps in the  FBI’s application for a warrant to spy on Carter Page, a Trump campaign  official, in 2016 and 2017.

                                                                                                                                                        

Among the most egregious problems was a lawyer in the FBI’s Office of  General Counsel who falsified information in an email provided to the  FISA court, deleting the fact that Mr. Page was working for another U.S.  government agency and instead making it look like he was not a source  for the government.

The lawyer has since resigned and faces a criminal investigation, but  Judge Collyer demanded to know what else he might have tainted.

                                                                                                                                                        

“Identify all other matters currently or previously before this court  that involved the participation of the FBI [Office of General Counsel]  attorney,” she wrote.

She added: “Describe any steps taken or to be taken by the Department of  Justice or FBI to verify that the United States’ submissions in those  matters completely and fully described the material facts and  circumstances.”