Posted on 11/26/2002 2:29:50 PM PST by Sparta
WASHINGTON — The government agreed to tell the American Civil Liberties Union by Jan. 15 which documents it would release about increased surveillance in the United States under a law passed in response to the terrorist attacks.
In response to a suit brought by the ACLU and other groups, the Justice Department also said it would supply a list of documents that it would keep confidential, citing national security concerns. The ACLU could challenge the decision to withhold any documents.
The agreement was reached Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle, who is hearing the case growing out of an Aug. 21 request filed under the Freedom of Information Act.
The civil liberties group wants to know how the government is carrying out the USA PATRIOT Act, passed in response to Sept. 11. The new law gives the government new powers to obtain personal information about U.S. citizens in an attempt to stop future terrorist attacks.
ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer asked for a specific date for the Justice Department to provide the information, saying that another federal judge set a deadline for the Energy Department to release documents and e-mails concerning Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force. "It's reasonable to ask for a fixed date," he said.
Justice Department lawyer Anthony J. Coppolino said the government needed until mid-January because the ACLU request was being reviewed by several agencies. He said the government had produced 163 pages of information, but needed to check with the various agencies, including the Immigration and Naturalization Service, intelligence and the criminal division to see if the information could be released.
Huvelle said the government was working toward meeting the ACLU's request.
"This is a matter of great public interest," Huvelle said. "I am not unimpressed by the efforts of the government to comply. The government is moving heaven and earth to get what you want."
The ACLU asked the Justice Department for the number of times it has asked libraries or bookstores for lists of purchases or for the identities of those who have bought certain books; how many times law enforcement officials have entered people's homes without letting them know until later; how many times they have approved phone traces of people not accused of any crimes; and how many times they have investigated Americans for writing letters to newspapers, attending rallies or other First Amendment-protected activities.
This will be interesting, along with the ratio of redactions to information released.
No sane person can like this piece of un-American garbage.
Well the freedom hating sociopathic cowards like it, but they're not sane.
Glad to see that Barr is aiming at the correct target. For all the thunder the last two weeks about HSA, it really was pretty tame, and even had some positives. We really need to revist the Patriot Act by the end of the year and identify the more obnoxious provisons, and work to get them either modified or repealed.
Anyone who will fight the abominable USA Patriot Act or the not to be sufficiently damned Homeland Security Act, can't be all bad.
The Republicans voted in mass, for the two most vicious attacks on the Constitution in history and now, we must depend on the ACLU to defend us. What's wrong with this picture? It's enough to make a conservative sick.
Hey, the Denver PD has me on videotape at TRT rallies. I noticed they had to switch to a wide-angle lens when they got to me...
Well the freedom hating sociopathic cowards like it, but they're not sane.
You must be talking about our elected "representatives".
Then why did he vote for it?
I'm just so CONFLICTED!!!
Can I root for both to get gutted by the court? ;^)
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