ABA Family Legal Guide

Criminal Justice

The Police and Your Rights

Has the constitutionality of the Patriot Act been challenged?

Yes. For example, in the summer of 2003, the ACLU filed suit in federal court on behalf of six Arab-American and Muslim groups. The ACLU challenged provisions dealing with the government's expanded search powers in such areas as Internet records from public library computers. The ACLU claimed that the challenged provisions violated the Fourth Amendment by permitting unreasonable searches not based on probable cause.