Two Patriot Act Provisions Ruled Unlawful

September 27, 2007
Two Patriot Act Provisions Ruled Unlawful

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A federal judge issued a stern rebuke of a key White House antiterror law, striking down as unconstitutional two pillars of the USA Patriot Act. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled that using the act to authorize secret searches and wiretapping to gather criminal evidence - instead of intelligence gathering - violates the Constitution.

"For over 200 years, this nation has adhered to the rule of law - with unparalleled success," the judge wrote Wednesday. "A shift to a nation based on extra-constitutional authority is prohibited, as well as ill-advised."

The case began when the FBI misidentified a fingerprint in the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people in 2004, leading investigators to a Portland attorney whose home and office were secretly searched and bugged.