USA Patriot Act Case Study

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The USA Patriot Act was signed into law on Oct. 26, 2001, due to the need for cooperation among all levels of security. Police and other department agencies were given powerful authority and encouraged to share information. This is to meet the goal for a safer America in times of turmoil including international affairs. But as the years have passed and as terrorist attacks seem to cease, people have begun to question if there’s too many restrictions on law enforcement were called off. In December 2005, the National Security Agency was accused of wiretapping into calls without having a warrant. The program was confirmed by President Bush and many other public officials who considered the taping legal. The American Civil Liberties Union pressed a lawsuit. ACLU states “A federal judge in Detroit found the program both unconstitutional and illegal.” Furthermore, the case was appealed and entered the U.S. Court of Appeals where the circuit overturned the ruling stating “the plaintiffs could not prove with certainty the NSA was wiretapping phones, but decided not to rule on the …show more content…

US NEWS informs us, “Drones in Seattle and Miami are equipped with video cameras capable of taking daytime and nighttime video, as are drones used by the Texas Department of Public Safety.” In 1989 Supreme Court decision ruled that police may use helicopters to peer into semiprivate areas including the backyard of a house without first obtaining a warrant. The Congressional Research Service furthermore states “The legal issues discussed in this report will likely remain unresolved until the civilian use of drones becomes more widespread”. The fourth amendment prohibits any search and seizures without a warrant. The drones which include cameras can come into citizen’s property as close as their yard, without having a

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