Part of Patriot Act Overturned

"Part of the Patriot Act, a central plank of the Bush administration's war on terror, was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge on the 9th of Sept 2004

U.S. District Judge Victor Marreo ruled in favour of the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the power the FBI has to demand confidential financial records from companies as part of terrorism investigations. The ruling was the latest blow to the Bush administration's
antiterrorism policies.

The FBI first received power to get customer records in 1986 legislation, but its power to obtain confidential data was greatly expanded by the Patriot Act -- a controversial law the Bush administration pushed through Congress after the 9/11 attacks to help it battle terrorism."

At least the US Justice system realizes that this act is not that Patriotic after all