On September 6, 2007, a judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that issuing National Security Letters (NSLs) demanding private information and imposing gag orders on recipients under the reauthorized and revised USA Patriot Act was unconstitutional without judicial review. In the ruling, the court held that allowing the FBI to issue NSLs without seeking prior court approval from a judge or grand jury violated several constitutional principles including separation of powers and First Amendment rights.

Learn more about the Patriot Act from the JURIST news archive.