Justice Department Sets Date for
Response to Patriot Act Lawsuit
In response to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and other groups, the Justice Department has agreed to say by January 15 which documents it would release about how the government has used its expanded surveillance powers granted by the USA Patriot Act.
The department also said it would supply a list of the documents that it would keep confidential based on national security concerns, the New York Times reported November 26. The ACLU could challenge those decisions.
The agreement was reached November 26 before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle. Justice Department lawyer Anthony J. Coppolino said the government needed until mid-January because several agencies, including the Immigration and Naturalization Service, needed to review the documents.
The lawsuit seeks information about how many times the government sought records from libraries, bookstores, and Internet service providers. It also asks how often the Justice Department has used its new powers to conduct various types of searches and surveillance.
Posted December 2, 2002.
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