It was presented to congress days after the september 11 th attacks in 2001. The aclu, in a new fact sheet challenging the doj web site, wants you. The united states was born in a defiant reaction to government surveillance. May 20, 2015 debate over patriot act creates unlikely allies in 2016 field. Several controversial provisions of the patriot actthe law that vastly expanded national security surveillance in the wake of the september 11 attacksare set to expire on march 15 unless congress passes a new bill reauthorizing them. One criticism of the act is that other purposes often includes the detection and prosecution of nonterrorist alleged future crimes. The doj also unloosed a new web site last month, designed to shore up support for the act. Much of last years controversy centered on cispas unnecessarily broad language and how it related to.
More excuses on the patriot act the new york times. Ashcroft contends that had the patriot act been in place earlier, 911 wouldnt have happened and that. News about usa patriot act, including commentary and archival articles published in the new york times. Surveillance under the usapatriot act american civil liberties. The patriot act increases the governments surveillance powers in four areas. Judicial oversight of these new powers is essentially nonexistent. Key senators have reached a deal with the white house that allays the civil liberties concerns of. Edward snowdens disclosures were partially responsible for reversing a massive growth in the use of a controversial provision of the patriot act. The patriot act and some of its controversial provisions on june 8, 2004 an fbi agent asked for a list of people who had checked out a biography of osama bin laden at the deming, washington library, jean airoldi, a deming librarian, wrote in an article. A new bill introduced in this 110th congress is designed to extend the usa patriot act allowing what many experts say are illegal provisions which will continue to allow the fbi, dea, ice, atf, u. The authors of the five books in the landmark legislation series take the reader behind the scenes to show the drama that led to each bill being passed and the effect each piece of legislation has had in the development of our country. The american library association was a signatory on the earliest coalitionled.
Liberty afire abstract the usa patriot act was written and passed into law in the united states within weeks of the devastating 911 terrorist attack. Bush said thatthe act would provide important new tools to fight a present danger gerdes. The article also mentions a study by congress that referenced hundreds of cases where the usa patriot act was used to investigate nonterrorist alleged future crimes. Librarians were among the first to raise concerns about the patriot act while it was being debated in congress. The patriot act is legislation passed in 2001 to improve the abilities of u. It was passed very quickly just over a month after the september 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and congress spent very little time reading and debating it. After the librarys attorney asked the fbi why it wanted such a list, the bureau answer. Liching hung the book focuses on the aspects that have made the patriot act pa a topic of great concern, especially since the patriot act has lost much of. Jun 02, 2015 senators by a 67 to 32 margin approved the usa freedom act, which was passed by the house last month. Apr 21, 2020 a new bill introduced in this 110th congress is designed to extend the usa patriot act allowing what many experts say are illegal provisions which will continue to allow the fbi, dea, ice, atf, u. American civil liberties union, and professor of law, new york law school. The title of the act is a contrived three letter initialism usa preceding a seven letter acronym patriot, which in combination stand for uniting and strengthening. Key controversies below this article the usa patriot act congress enacted the patriot act arming law enforcement with new tools to detect and prevent terrorism. Opponents of the act have been quite vocal in asserting that it was passed opportunistically after the september 11 attacks, believing that there would have been little debate.
In his new netflix latenight show patriot act, hasan minhaj essentially delivers one lengthy standup act a week, roughly twenty minutes end to end. Although nsls have existed since long before the patriot act, the act did expand the existing nsl statutes and create one new nsl authority. Snowden disclosures helped reduce use of patriot act. While this book is technically out of print, i still have about a thousand copies left, and there are two book vendors on the east coast that carry this title at the gun. By some accounts, less than 48 hours passed between the presentation of the bills final wording and the law passing in both. The american civil liberties union announced in may that it was seeking the opinion through the freedom of information act and would sue to get it. The early debate around a key provision wasnt about anything like mass collection of phone records. Sixteen surveillance provisions are set to expire on dec.
Jun 24, 2011 the american civil liberties union announced in may that it was seeking the opinion through the freedom of information act and would sue to get it. Key senators have reached a deal with the white house that allays the civil liberties concerns of some critics of the law. Jun 18, 2015 is the new patriot act making us safer. Shortly after the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001, congress passed a complex, 342page billthe usa patriot actto help the government fight its war on terrorism. Hasan minhaj calls out netflix over bodyguard islamophobia. The book focuses on the aspects that have made the patriot act pa a topic of. The usa patriot act was passed nearly unanimously by the senate 981, and 35766 in the house, with the support of members from across the political spectrum. As key provisions of the patriot act come up for renewal, npr examines the.
The following are controversial invocations of the usa patriot act. In the decade preceding the signing of the declaration of independence, the villains were the stamp act and the writs of assistance act. A nightclub owner was linked to a drug trafficking stash house via a law enforcement gps tracking device attached to his car. Bush in october 2001, that significantly expanded the search and surveillance powers of federal lawenforcement and intelligence agencies. The book focuses on the aspects that have made the patriot act pa a topic of great concern, especially since the patriot act has lost much of its power due to judicial intervention. The patriot act increases the governments power to spy in four areas. Since the bill was signed on october 26, 2001, the patriot act has become the subject of intense controversy. How patriotic is the patriot act freedom versus security in the age of terrorism 1st. Snowden was overwhelmingly passed by the house judiciary committee and. Reauthorization of the usa patriot act the federalist. This particular part of that law is notable because it has been divisive. So since the patriot act passed, the number of of sneakandpeeks each year has grown from about 16 per year to over 11,000 in 20. The usa patriot act is an act of the united states congress that was. Primary criticisms of the act patriot act criticisms.
Amitai etzioni presents a thoughtful assessment of the controversial post 911. James phelan is the awardwinning author of twentyfour novels and one work of nonfiction. Debunking the patriot act as it turns 15 electronic. The framework of the act was drafted by president george w. It also defined a host of new crimes and increased penalties for existing ones. News about usa patriot act, including commentary and archival articles published in. Ashcroft contends that had the patriot act been in place. Surveillance under the usapatriot act american civil. The life or death of the act depends upon the behavior of terrorists. Within weeks of the september 11 terrorist attacks, overwhelming majorities in both houses of congress passed the usa patriot act. Discover librarianselected research resources on usa patriot act from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals. It expands the governments ability to look at records on an individuals activity being held by a third parties. Congress passed and president obama signed legislation reauthorizing the usa patriot act just hours before three controversial provisions were due to expire but in a rare meeting of minds, many.
The usa patriot act commonly known as the patriot act is an act of the united states congress that was signed into law by u. Usa patriot act, also called patriot act, in full uniting and strengthening america by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism act of 2001, u. In october 2001, congress passed the patriot act, empowering the federal government to round up and deport hundreds of noncitizens it suspected of terrorist connections and. Senate intelligence committee is weighing fresh concerns about the sweeping nature of domestic spying using one controversial section of the patriot act. May 22, 2015 two years after edward snowden exposed the nsas collection of millions of americans private communications, the bulk of those programs remain intact. The complaints concern the way the justice department has enforced the 2001 patriot act, a law passed in the immediate aftermath of the sept. At the signing of the patriot act in 2001, president george w. As congress considered reauthorization of the patriot act on may 25 this year, obamas director of national intelligence, james clapper, wrote to senate leaders, urging them to reauthorize section 215 and two other parts of the law in particular, or important classified collection programs might be forced to shut down. Pros and cons of the patriot act 1634 words bartleby. The paper is called the chains of the constitution and legal process in the library. List of books and articles about usa patriot act online. General john ashcroft, was sent straight to the floor with no discussion, debate, or hearings.
Repeal the whole unconstitutional law by eddlem, thomas r the new american, vol. Congress has passed a new incarnation of the patriot act. Among the tangible things that could be targeted, it includes books. The critical implications of a new national debate. Pros and cons of the patriot act 1875 words 8 pages. Jan 02, 2019 netflix has caved to pressure from the saudi arabian government and pulled an episode of the show patriot act with hasan minhaj that was critical of its crown prince mohammad bin salman. The law said this could include records, papers, documents, or books. Military and other federal agencies to spy on investigate and arrest innocent americans. One prime example of a controversy of the patriot act is shown in the case of susan lindauer. The paper reassesses the patriot act provisions that affect libraries now that some parts of the patriot act have been legislatively revised, judicially interpreted, or audited for compliance. Bush signed this bill into law on october 26, 2001, the patriot act has been ardently defended by its supporters in the intelligence community and harshly criticized by members of congress, the tech industry. The aclu, in a new fact sheet challenging the doj web site. In the months following the october 2001, passage of the patriot act, there. In recent years, the debate around the law has focused on the sweeping phone records surveillance exposed by former nsa contractor edward snowden in 20, but there are many aspects to the statute and how it came.
Just six weeks after the september 11 attacks, a panicked congress passed the usapatriot act, an overnight revision of the nations surveillance laws that vastly expanded the governments authority to spy on its own citizens, while simultaneously reducing checks and balances on those powers like judicial oversight, public accountability, and. Bush in october 2001, that significantly expanded the. Discover librarianselected research resources on usa patriot act from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Congress passed the usa patriot act in october and the president signed it into law the same month. List of books and articles about usa patriot act online research.
Controversial invocations of the patriot act wikipedia. Thats the argument being made for a measure in congress that would modify the patriot act to make it somewhat harder for the government to conduct mass. Meanwhile, not only have the number of sneakandpeek. Remember when the patriot act debate was all about propublica. Preserving life and liberty uniting and strengthening america by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism congress enacted the patriot act by overwhelming, bipartisan margins, arming law enforcement with new tools to detect and prevent terrorism. Charles c thomas publisher, 2010 political science 262 pages. Opponents of the act have been quite vocal in asserting that it was passed opportunistically after the september 11 attacks, believing there to have been little debate. The new law also specifies that all attorney generalappointed interim attorneys then in office shall.
Since the patriot acts enactment, nsls have been the subject of significant controversy. The patriot act has come under fire for a number of reasons. Few legislative acts in american history have caused polarization and controversy as did the united and strengthening american by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism, known as the patriot act pa. A reference handbook is an indepth examination of the difficult wartime task of balancing civil liberties against national security. In november 1919, federal agents raided a community center in new york frequented by russian immigrants. Terrorism act, more commonly known as the usa patriot act, or simply the patriot act was signed into law on october 26, 2001, 45 days after the terrorist attackson september 11 th. In september 2003, the new york times reported on a case of the usa patriot act being used to investigate alleged potential drug traffickers without probable cause. Liching hung the book focuses on the aspects that have made the patriot act pa a topic of great concern, especially since the patriot act has lost much of its power due to judicial intervention. Two years after edward snowden exposed the nsas collection of millions of americans private communications, the bulk of those programs remain intact.
Fisa, the patriot act, and the freedom act include many provisions that are arguably unconstitutional, specifically violating the first and fourth amendments. Jun 17, 20 remember when the patriot act debate was all about library records. The stated purpose of the act is to deter and punish terrorist acts in the united states and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes. The act s official title is, uniting and strengthening america by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism, or usapatriot. Senators by a 67 to 32 margin approved the usa freedom act, which was passed by the house last month. In doing so, the department issued new directives that. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the u.
News about usa patriot act, including commentary and archival articles published in the new. Amitai etzioni presents a thoughtful assessment of the controversial post 9 11. Remember when the patriot act debate was all about. This book is must reading for anyone concerned with issues relatingto civil. Patriot act pa and the issues and controversy surrounding the act in the fight against international terrorism. Debate over patriot act creates unlikely allies in 2016 field. Shop all books by judge napolitano i have been writing for years about the dangers to human freedom that come from government mass surveillance. Senator tom udall, a new mexico democrat, went further, saying the government was using that opinion to conduct some sort of dragnet surveillance.
Oct 26, 2016 the patriot act turns 15 today, but thats nothing to celebrate. A breakdown of the patriot act, freedom act, and fisa. Ncjrs abstract national criminal justice reference service. Common dreams is a small nonprofit with a big mission. The usa patriot act has generated a great deal of controversy since its enactment. The provision allows investigators to obtain books, records, papers.
He first studied and worked in architecture before turning to englishlit, working five years at the age newspaper, obtaining an ma writing and phd young adult literature. To remain an independent news source, we do not advertise, sell subscriptions or accept. Congress enacted the patriot act by overwhelming, bipartisan margins, arming law enforcement with new tools to detect and prevent terrorism. The house on wednesday voted 251174 to make most of those provisions permanent, with some new safeguards and with expiration dates for the acts two most controversial powers, which authorize roving wiretaps and secret searches of records. The authors in this anthology present differing views on whether the patriot act protects national. In terms of the first amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, law enforcement under the patriot act can prohibit the recipients of a search from telling others about the search. On thursday, a bill that would overhaul the patriot act and curtail the socalled metadata surveillance exposed by edward j. Netflix patriot act with hasan minhaj saudi arabia. But critics say the patriot act creates a new risk in section 218 that investigators will too easily use spying and terrorism as an excuse for launching foreign intelligence wiretaps and searches.