The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), often called the FISA court, consists of 11 federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for seven-year terms. These judges oversee government requests for surveillance warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. As of late 2025, the active judges include a mix of district court judges serving renewable terms, with Chief Justice John Roberts designating all current members.

Current FISA Court Judges

The FISC maintains 11 active judgeships with no current vacancies. Key active members drawn from official records include:

Judge| Judicial District/Circuit| Notable Term Details
---|---|---
Anthony Trenga (Chief)| Eastern District of Virginia| Presiding judge, 2023-present 1
Joan N. Ericksen| District of Minnesota| 2023-present 1
Carl J. Nichols| District of Columbia| Active as of recent listings 5
John J. Tharp Jr.| Northern District of Illinois| Term through 2025 15
Timothy DeGiusti| Western District of Oklahoma| Active judge 5
Louis Guirola Jr.| Southern District of Mississippi| Active judge 5
Kenneth Karas| Southern District of New York| Active judge 5
Sara Lioi| Northern District of Ohio| Active judge 5
Amit P. Mehta| District of Columbia| Active judge 5
George Singal| District of Maine| Active judge 5

Note: Terms rotate, and recent appointees like Karin J. Immergut (2024-present) and others may fill rotations.

Recent Appointments and Context

Chief Justice Roberts has appointed all 11 current FISA judges, sparking forum discussions on platforms like AutoAdmit about his influence over surveillance oversight. Recent additions include James P. Jones and others post-Snowden era, amid debates on judicial balance. The court's secretive nature limits public updates, but the Federal Judicial Center tracks historical and active service.

Role and Trending Discussions

FISA judges review classified warrant applications for national security surveillance, approving thousands annually with high approval rates historically. Online forums in 2025 highlight concerns over Roberts' selections, tying into broader surveillance state critiques. No major changes reported as of December 2025.

TL;DR: The 11 FISA court judges are district judges like Anthony Trenga (chief), Joan Ericksen, and Carl Nichols, all appointed by Chief Justice Roberts; full list rotates via official trackers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.