USA PATRIOT Act
Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. Many parts of this sweeping legislation take away checks on law enforcement and threaten the very rights and freedoms that we are struggling to protect. For example, without a warrant and without probable cause, the FBI now has the power to access your most private medical records, your library records, and your student records... and can prevent anyone from telling you it was done.
The Department of Justice is expected to introduce a sequel, dubbed PATRIOT II, that would further erode key freedoms and liberties of every American.
The ACLU and many allies on the left and right believe that before giving law enforcement new powers, Congress must first re-examine provisions of the first PATRIOT Act to ensure that is in alignment with key constitutional protections.
Summaries and Analyses
- Flyer: The USA PATRIOT Act and Other Government Acts
- Text of the USA PATRIOT Act
- ACLU Fact Sheet on Surveillance under the USA PATRIOT Act
- ACLU Fact Sheet on Section 215: How the Patriot Act Threatens Your Personal Records
- ACLU Fact Sheet on "PATRIOT II"
- How "PATRIOT Act II," The Domestic Security Enhancement Act, Would Further Erode the Basic Checks on Government Power
- Section-by-Section Analysis of "PATRIOT II"
- Additional Analyses of How PATRIOT Powers Threaten Liberty and Privacy
Audio Archive
Features
- New! ACLU Files First-Ever Challenge to USA PATRIOT Act, Citing Radical Expansion of FBI Powers
- FISA - The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
- ACLU's Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit on How the FBI Is Using the USA PATRIOT Act
Conservative Voices
- Conservative Voices Against the USA PATRIOT Act
- Conservative Voices Against PATRIOT Act II
- Conservative Voices Defending Freedom Post September 11
Press Releases
- USA PATRIOT Act
- Domestic Security Enhancement Act ("PATRIOT II")
- ACLU's Freedom of Information Act Request
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Publications
- Freedom Under Fire: Dissent in Post-9/11 America
- Unpatriotic Acts: The FBI's Power to Rifle Through Your Records and Personal Belongings Without Telling You
- Overview of Post-9/11 Court Cases
- Insatiable Appetite: The Government's Demand for New and Unnecessary Powers After September 11
- Civil Liberties After 9/11: The ACLU Defends Freedom
- Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society
Other Legislative Items
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