Republican Sen. Rand Paul said his class-action lawsuit against the National Security Agency over its secretive spying programs will be “historic,” because it speaks to the heart of Fourth Amendment protections in the Constitution.

Mr. Paul, of Kentucky, has been an outspoken critic of the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records and other data from everyday Americans. He and other critics say the programs, outlined in a series of leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, are illegal because the government needs a warrant to collect the data.

“I think our lawsuit will have great ramifications and I think it’ll make it to the Supreme Court,” he told CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley.

He said he confers with Democrats who share his concerns on a regular basis, even if they aren’t about to sign onto the lawsuit.

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