Prosecutors Appeal Patriot Act Gag Ruling

[Rose Siding]

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Arguing that a terrorism investigation could be jeopardized, federal prosecutors on Friday appealed a judge's decision to lift a gag order on librarians who received an FBI demand for records about library patrons under the Patriot Act.

U.S. District Court Judge Janet Hall last week ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued that the gag order prevented their client from participating in a debate over whether Congress should reauthorize the Patriot Act.

The ruling, which would allow the ACLU and its client to identify who received the request for records, was stayed until Sept. 20 to give the government a chance to appeal.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/16/AR2005091601586.html

From the judge's previous ruling...

"The government may intend the nondisclosure provision to serve some purpose other than the suppression of speech," Hall wrote. "Nevertheless, it has 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."

[goforit]

1. Heading is misleading. But interesting set of events.

[Massacure]

2. It might be a good idea to publish the info before they cannot do so...