Patriot Act
74 Articles

20 Years After the Patriot Act, America Must End Secret Law
Of the many abuses that sprung from the Patriot Act’s toxic soil, the most pernicious and enduring is the growth of secret laws. The insistence that the government must not only…

Rethinking Surveillance on the 20th Anniversary of the Patriot Act
20 years ago, Congress enacted the PATRIOT Act. It's time to move on from that outmoded model of surveillance.

In the Wake of the January 6 Attacks, Will Congress and the Administration Heed the Lessons of 9/11?
The need to respond forcefully to the insurrection should not be conflated with the need for new legal authorities.

9/11 All Over Again
As in the days after 9/11, the current challenges stemming from COVID-19 seem unprecedented. But the parallels are striking.

The Consequences of Legislating Cyberlaw After Terrorist Attacks
Hastily drafted laws passed under pressure tend to create new problems while doing little to counter threats from terrorists and violent extremists.

Fulfilling the Promise of the USA Freedom Act: Time to Truly End Bulk Collection of Americans’ Calling Records
The new Section 215 "call detail records" program is still ineffective and doesn't justify the privacy threats it poses.

Happy PATRIOT Act Day!
On this day, 16 years ago, President George W. Bush signed into law the most sweeping, publicly acknowledged domestic surveillance authority in American history. Enacted six weeks…

Treasury’s Turf War Over Domestic Spying
BuzzFeed News recently reported serious allegations that the Treasury Department’s Office of Intelligence Affairs (OIA) is illegally accessing and analyzing the financial records…

Cruz & Rubio’s Confusing USA Freedom Exchange
A few reporters have asked me about a slightly odd exchange between GOP presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz at last night’s primary debate, so I thought it might…

Bulk Collection Under Section 215 Has Ended… What’s Next?
This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…

The Legal Legacy of the NSA’s Section 215 Bulk Collection Program
Last week’s opinion in Klayman v. Obama by Judge Richard Leon dealt another, emphatic(!) blow to the constitutionality of the NSA’s bulk phone record surveillance program under…

Judge Leon’s Poignant, Yet Pointless, Injunction in Klayman
A long time 12 days ago, I wrote a post sharply criticizing the Second Circuit for deciding not to decide the Fourth Amendment question in ACLU v. Clapper, which arises from the…