Judge strikes down secrecy provision of controversial counterterrorism orders

Judge strikes down secrecy provision of controversial counterterrorism orders
By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/15/17330537-judge-strikes-down-secrecy-provision-of-controversial-counterterrorism-orders?lite%0D

A federal judge on Friday struck down gag orders imposed on companies that receive national security letters — the supersecret mechanism by which the FBI can get your private information without a warrant in the name of counterterrorism.

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In a ruling filed Friday afternoon in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston declared the letters — which prohibit recipients from even acknowledging they have received them, much less discuss their circumstances — an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment.

Illston ordered the FBI to stop issuing the letters, known as NSLs, and to stop enforcing the gag orders. She stayed enforcement of her ruling for 90 days to give the government time to appeal.
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The Justice Department said it was studying the decision and had no immediate comment.

Read the full ruling (.pdf)

The letters have been the focus of intense controversy, with government officials calling them vital to fighting terrorism and civil liberties advocates calling them a gross infringement of Americans' rights.

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