[tunap]

Oh no, they need not convince a judge. Thanks to the Patriot Act, they can surveil and ask for permission ex post facto. Or, surveil and never ask for permission, if the LEOs decide not to request a warrant... again, after the surveilling has been completed.

[krapp]

The Patriot Act expired two years ago.

[tunap]

Technically, yes it did. TIL.

However, backdoor sunset clauses exist & the bill to reauthorize it have already been passed and sit on the back burner, as Trump threatened to veto it. I suppose when the sunset clause is no longer exploitable, they'll get the sitting POTUS's sig. More in TFA:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/section-215-expired-ye...