Backchannel:

The problem for the president is that when it comes to the specific battle going on right now between Apple and the FBI, the law is clear: twenty years ago, Congress passed a statute, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) that does not allow the government to tell manufacturers how to design or configure a phone or software used by that phone — including security software used by that phone.

The government can’t require companies that build phones to come to it for clearance in advance of launching a new device. Nor can the authorities ask a manufacturer to design something new — like a back door — once that device is out.

The more I read about this issue, and I’ve read a lot, the more I see that the government may have made a huge mistake with this particular case. Obviously, a judge could rule differently but every non-partisan opinion I’ve read says there’s no way the government can get a court to do what they want.