Part of USA PATRIOT Act found unconstitutional

Reuters is reporting that a part of the USA PATRIOT Act that addressed accessing the records of financial institutions has been found unconstitutional by a federal judge earlier today.

The ACLU argued that the anti-terrorism laws give the FBI unconstitutional power to demand sensitive information without adequate safeguards.

The judge agreed, saying the provision “effectively bars or substantially deters any judicial challenge.”

“Such a challenge is necessary to vindicate important rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” Marreo [sic] said.