Patriot Act appeal -- is censored!
The Supreme Court was asked Monday to let
libraries speak out about FBI demands for their records in a case involving the
Patriot Act anti-terrorism law.
The Supreme Court was asked Monday to let libraries speak out about FBI demands for their records in a case involving the Patriot Act anti-terrorism law.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the emergency appeal, on behalf of an anonymous client, but the paperwork is censored and gives few details [emphasis added].
The ACLU has argued that a gag order prevents its client, apparently librarians in Connecticut, from participating in a debate over whether Congress should reauthorize the Patriot Act.
A federal judge said that the gag order had "the practical effect of silencing individuals with a constitutionally protected interest in speech and whose voices are particularly important in an ongoing national debate about the intrusion of governmental authority into individual lives."
You’re not allowed to report on censorship. How’s that for a Catch-22?
Federal prosecutors have maintained that secrecy about records demands is necessary to keep from alerting suspects and jeopardizing terrorism investigations. They contend the gag order prevents only the release of the client's identity.
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"It's really ridiculous," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "I'm just waiting for the first search of a newsroom to come down and for someone to say, `You can't report we just searched you."'
Did the framers of the Constitution ever think we would come to a point where it was illegal to tell anyone you’ve been hassled by the government?
Posted: Tue - October 4, 2005 at 06:44 AM