Monday, January 26, 2004
Part of Patriot Act Ruled Unconstitutional
From an AP story:
A federal judge has declared unconstitutional a portion of the USA Patriot Act that bars giving expert advice or assistance to groups designated foreign terrorist organizations.
The ruling marks the first court decision to declare a part of the post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism statute unconstitutional, said David Cole, a Georgetown University law professor who argued the case on behalf of the Humanitarian Law Project.
In a ruling handed down late Friday and made available Monday, U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins said the ban on providing ``expert advice or assistance'' is impermissibly vague, in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments.
