Patriot Act Reauthorization Fails the American People

The Patriot Act was reauthorized last week, without several important amendments that could have helped protect the liberty and privacy of innocent Americans.

"Last week's vote failed the American people and the Constitution. Proponents of the law claim that the reauthorization achieves key 'civil liberties protections,' but the facts don't match the rhetoric," Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, said. "The Patriot Act could have been reformed to protect our security and liberty by focusing the resources on suspected foreign terrorists but, at the Bush administration's insistence, Congress chose to ignore common sense reforms in favor of cosmetic changes."

But the Patriot Act debate is far from over. Even some proponents of the compromise agree that more needs to be done to restore checks and balances. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation to require judicial review of the National Security Letters powers, which were made more coercive and punitive under the reauthorization.

The ACLU also continues to pursue our legal challenges to the Patriot Act, including our challenge to the expanded National Security Letter powers. Learn more about where the Patriot Act stands and the continuing struggle for real reform.