is far from public. it's here somewhere in this sprawling complex here in washington, d.c. it's a court so secret, we don't even know exactly where it convenes inside the building. and how does it work? it was designed to allow government surveillance on individuals who pose national security concerns before bad things happen. >> and so the need for secrecy is to make sure that the spy isn't alerted to the fact that you are now watching whatever he or she is doing. >> reporter: the question now is whether this court post-9/11 is protecting the privacy of americans. >> it's the fact that there's a secret law and a secret body of law that makes it the most vexing and the most unusual. >> reporter: only the justice department goes before the court for permission to conduct surveillance. third parties don't get heard directly unless they go through, you guessed it, the justice department. >> it's a very strange process where an individual or an organization that wants to