You might want to read the ruling yourself, instead of relying on an interpretation from the New York Times.

It pretty much lays waste to any future plans to hold the Bush Administration liable for any perceived Fourth Amendment violations arising from the implementation of the NSA’s Terrorist Surveillance Program.

It’s called the inherent constitutional authority of the Executive, and in only the second public release in the Court’s thirty-year history, it’s been validated by the FISA Court, again.

For these reasons, we hold that a foreign intelligence exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement exists when surveillance is conducted to obtain foreign intelligence for national security purposes and is directed against foreign powers or agents of foreign powers reasonably believed to be located outside the United States.