The ruling is the first definitive response to a barrage of legal suits against the surveillance effort, which was revealed in press accounts last December.

NPR: Bush's Wiretaps Ruled Unconstitutional

And last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said broad support had been reached to create an inspector general post following an outcry over street stops, and surveillance of Muslims as revealed in stories by The Associated Press.

WSJ: NYPD chief: Community, police must work together

He also has repeatedly embraced the NYPD's surveillance and other counterterror programs after a series of stories by The Associated Press on the department's widespread spying on Muslims.

WSJ: Bloomberg staunchly defends NYPD policies

Reporters for the Associated Press won a Pulitzer Prize last year for a series of articles critical of the NYPD's surveillance program.

WSJ: Judith Miller: How to Stop Terrorists Before They Kill

We don't yet know the full impact of new revelations about last September's attack in Benghazi, the political abuse of the Internal Revenue Service, and the Justice Department's secret surveillance of journalists, but we do know there are questions in Congress and among a suddenly energetic Washington press corps, questions likely to affect the president's agenda and legacy.

WSJ: Obama's Scandalous Legacy