( CNN ) -- A Supreme Court justice Thursday night suggested the legality of National Security Agency activities could be decided by the court . Three days after Pulitzers were awarded to newspapers that revealed the NSA 's surveillance activities , Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg deflected a question about Edward Snowden , who leaked NSA data . When asked , `` Do you believe that Snowden is a whistleblower or a traitor ? '' Ginsburg , who was joined by Justice Antonin Scalia , told an audience at the National Press Club in Washington that she could not say . `` It 's also possible , is it not , '' she said , `` that the question you raise could come before the court . And we are not at liberty to preview . '' If Snowden is extradited to the United States and charged with federal crimes for his leaks , his case could come before the court . In June of 2013 , The Guardian and The Washington Post published reports that revealed the NSA 's bulk collection of U.S. citizens ' phone records and other clandestine surveillance activities . That sparked a firestorm concerning Fourth Amendment protections for U.S. citizens from `` unreasonable searches and seizures '' and the issue of where that protection weighs in the balance between national security and personal privacy . On Thursday , the two justices were asked whether The Post deserved the highest accolade in journalism , a gold medal for public service administered by Columbia University in New York City for nearly 100 years . Obama , Congress working on changes to NSA . Scalia said he had `` no idea '' why The Post was awarded the Pulitzer Prize . In a Washingtonian 's slight at a newspaper that 's sometimes seen as liberal , Scalia said , `` I do n't read The Post . '' `` So I have no idea what they got the prize for , '' he said , prompting knowing laughter from the press club . Ginsburg said that it 's `` a question that the journalists in this audience are much better equipped to answer than I am . '' Also on Thursday , Snowden , who is in Russia , asked Russian President Vladimir Putin about surveillance activities in his country . In an annual question-and-answer program broadcast on state television , Putin held court for nearly four hours . `` Does Russia intercept , store , analyze in any way the communications of individuals ? '' Snowden asked him in a phone call . `` We do not allow ourselves to do this . And , we will never allow this . We do not have the money or the means to do that , '' answered Putin . `` The most important thing is we have a special service that 's thankfully under strict state control . '' In March of last year , U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden , D-Oregon , asked a similar question of the director of national intelligence . `` Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans ? '' he asked James R. Clapper . Clapper responded , `` No , sir ... not wittingly . '' He later clarified his remarks . On Russian TV , Snowden asks Putin about Moscow surveillance . Stories about NSA surveillance , Snowden leaks win Pulitzers for two news groups . Snowden speaks at SXSW , calls for public oversight of U.S. spy programs .
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia speak before the National Press Club . Photograph: If NSA leaker Edward Snowden is charged with federal crimes , the court could hear his case .