Part Of The Patriot Act Shot Down

jtwJGuevara writes "In a victory today for the ACLU, (and many Slashdotters I presume) the section of the Patriot Act which gives power to the FBI to demand confidential financial records from companies as part of terrorist investigations has been ruled unconstitutional by a U.S. District Judge. Victor Marreo, the District Judge who made this ruling, states that the provision of the Patriot Act in question 'effectively bars or substantially deters any judicial challenge.'"

Comments

Who wrote this part?

[Anonymous Coward]

I know that Kerry wrote some of the "financial crime" parts of the Patriot Act. I wonder if this was his? Does anyone know?

Re:This means nothing

[garcia]

Hopefully on appeal the Supreme Court accepts this case.

More than just that, hope that someone else wins in November and appoints some less conservative individuals to take their seat among the other justices.

Praise Jebus and pass the Master Card!

[psychopracter]

I work in an academic library that's also a federal depository. I've had to deal first hand with the implications of this POS raping of our rights

I also live in a city where provisions of this act were (mis)used not to go after terrorists, but after "garden variety" criminals.

In making purchases off of the internet or at a store, I had to pick and choose what I wanted to buy with a CC. Afterall, in the hands of an overzealous prosecutor with an axe to grind, my purchase of the book/film for Lolita and The Tin Drum could be turned into "evidence" of my pedophilla or some other such rot. "Would it play well in Peoria" became my yardstick for all CC purchases. No really. I deal with a government that would inflict such craplaw as the Patriot Act on us with extreme paranoia.

(But, one part of me has a tiny twinge of sorrow at watching this act of justice delayed. It's mightily hard to be fiscally irresponsible when you've switched to a "cash diet" to make all your major purchases. It's going to be a little harder for me to be "good" now.)