Two Provisions of Patriot Act Called Unconstitutional by Federal Judge

Two provisions of the Patriot Act were called unconstitutional by a federal judge in Oregon:

In a case brought by a Portland man who was wrongly detained as a terrorism suspect in 2004, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the Patriot Act violates the Constitution because it “permits the executive branch of government to conduct surveillance and searches of American citizens without satisfying the probable cause requirements of the Fourth Amendment.”

“For over 200 years, this Nation has adhered to the rule of law — with unparalleled success,” Aiken wrote in a strongly worded 44-page opinion. “A shift to a Nation based on extra-constitutional authority is prohibited, as well as ill-advised.”

It makes one wonder how supporters of these measures can be considered patriots considering how they violate the principles upon which this nation was founded and stands for.

This legal challenge to the Patriot Act comes soon after another federal judge called the gag orders under the act unconstitutional.

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