Judge Strikes Down Part of Patriot Act
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge struck down parts of the revised USA Patriot Act on Thursday, saying investigators must have a court’s approval before they can order Internet providers to turn over records without telling customers.
U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said the government orders must be subject to meaningful judicial review and that the recently rewritten Patriot Act “offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers.”
This is huge, not only because it puts the reins on the utter abuse of our right to privacy, but also because the court’s ruling clearly stated that requiring disclosure of records without informing the individual is a violation of Constitutional rights.
Unless Congress plans to repeal the Constitution, this ruling more or less ends any hope they have for covert review of citizens’ telephone records. Three cheers for the rule of law!
Technorati Tags: Patriot Act, privacy, constitution, rights
