Prosecutors Drop Appeal in (Patriot Act) Librarian Case

[brooklynite]

STAMFORD, Conn. - Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they will no longer seek to enforce a gag order on Connecticut librarians who received an FBI demand for records about library patrons under the Patriot Act.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought a lawsuit on behalf of the librarians, said it will identify them once court proceedings are completed in the next few weeks.

U.S. District Judge Janet Hall ruled last year that the gag order should be lifted, saying it unfairly prevented the librarians from participating in a debate over how the Patriot Act should be rewritten.

Prosecutors appealed, but U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor said Wednesday that the appeal no longer made sense.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060412/ap_on_re_us/patriot_act_libraries_1

[saigon68]

1. Don't go to the Library

"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU"

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. screw that!

I'm checking out 90% political books from the library. I say... come and get me! I WILL NOT just shut up and quit educating myself.

[saigon68]

5. I AGREE WITH YOU HERE

They Can PRY that BOOK from my cold dead hand

LOL

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. I love DU

we can argue in one thread, and agree completely in another.

:)

[saigon68]

8. YUP

THAT'S IT :-) :-)

[DBoon]

7. I trust librarians before I trust Amazon.com

I would bet Amazon has already turned over their lists to DHS, just like many compliant ISPs did with their customers

[rodeodance]

11. unless they are Nat. Archies librarians--who recently caved to WH>

[marmar]

2. Gag orders? What kind of Gestapo bullshit is this?

More power to the librarians for standing up to Big Brother.

[wtbymark]

3. Nowadays, if you walk outside, big chimpy will be watching n/t

[HuffleClaw]

9. probably because they'd LOSE

kind of like how bushco. avoided that supreme court challenge about the detentions.

[rodeodance]

10. No, it is cause the PA already rewritten and is permanant now.

U.S. District Judge Janet Hall ruled last year that the gag order should be lifted, saying it unfairly prevented the librarians from participating in a debate over how the Patriot Act should be rewritten.

[hootinholler]

19. Winner! Exactly, the gag no longer serves a useful purpose...

Why becasue the PA2 is now signed.

-Hoot

[flamingyouth]

12. kick

[kskiska]

13. NYT: Librarians Win as U.S. Relents on Secrecy Law

After fighting ferociously for months, federal prosecutors relented yesterday and agreed to allow a Connecticut library group to identify itself as the recipient of a secret F.B.I. demand for records in a counterterrorism investigation.

The decision ended a dispute over whether the broad provisions for secrecy in the USA Patriot Act, the antiterror law, trumped the free speech rights of library officials. The librarians had gone to federal court to gain permission to identify themselves as the recipients of the secret subpoena, known as a national security letter, ordering them to turn over patron records and e-mail messages.

It was unclear what impact the government's decision would have on the approximately 30,000 other such letters that are issued each year. Changes in the Patriot Act now allow the government discretion over whether to enforce or relax what had been a blanket secrecy requirement concerning the letters.

Lawyers for the group, the Library Connection of Windsor, Conn., argued that their client was eager to participate freely in the debate last year over the reauthorization of the Patriot Act. But federal prosecutors asserted that the Patriot Act required that the group's identity remain secret and that the government would suffer irreparable harm if any information about its investigations became known.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/nyregion/13library.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[saltpoint]

14. Librarians rock. They just totally rock. Bless 'em all.

Thanks for this post, kskiska.

[UrbScotty]

15. K&R for our libraries! (nt)

[patriothackd]

16. So, since prosecutors want secrecy

Are the 30,000 letters per year from the FBI something we can get our hands on with public records requests? And how did the reporter arrive at the 30,000 figure?

[newyawker99]

20. Hi patriothackd!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[gratuitous]

17. So was this a crucial matter of national security, or no big deal?

The government filed papers in this case asserting that revealing the identity of this group would cause irreparable harm, presumably to national security. Now, it's "Anh, never mind."

Not only is this government run by fascists, they're gutless fascists.

[bklyncowgirl]

18. As a librarian I am delighted to read this.

One of my worst fears is that some day the FBI is going to show up at my door without a properly issued court order. While this doesn't eliminate that possibility it does seem to provide us with a little more room to maneuver.