Patriot Act

The Patriot Act passed Congress weeks after 9/11 when lawmakers felt pressured to do something, anything in response to the attacks. Many of its provisions threaten New Yorkers’ privacy and civil liberties. Unfortunately, Congress reauthorized the Patriot Act in early 2006 without fixing the law’s most fundamental flaws.

The NYCLU has played a prominent role in the fight to reform the Patriot Act. The fight is far from over. In a lawsuit brought by the NYCLU and ACLU, a federal judge in 2007 declared the National Security Letter provision of the Patriot Act unconstitutional. That provision allowed the FBI to compel communications companies to produce customer records secretly and without judicial supervision.

In a second lawsuit, the NYCLU and ACLU challenged the Patriot Act’s “ideological exclusion” provision that allows the government wide discretion to block foreign nationals from entering the United States if it determines they have voiced irresponsible opinions.

The NYCLU is opposing the Patriot Act through grassroots advocacy and legislative lobbying. Click here to learn more about the ACLU’s efforts to reform this deeply flawed and dangerous law.

Community Resolutions Upholding Fundamental Rights and Liberties

Since September 11, 2001, 8 states and 414 municipalities have passed resolutions opposing numerous provisions of the Patriot Act, and other national security measures, that unnecessarily curtail fundamental rights and liberties. Communities in New York State have been among the most active in this nationwide effort.

Resolutions passed in New York State:

Albany (05/19/03)
Albany County (06/14/04)
Bethlehem (04/14/04)
Brighton (03/28/07)
Canton (09/15/03)
Danby (10/13/03)
Elmira (02/07/05)
Greenburgh (01/29/04)
Huntington (09/14/04)
Ithaca (02/06/03)
Mamaroneck (05/04/05)
Mount Vernon (04/14/04)
New Paltz Town (02/27/03)
New Paltz Village (02/12/03)
New York (02/04/04)
North Hempstead (12/16/03)
Nyack (12/11/03)
Plattsburgh (05/27/04)
Rochester (02/02/06)
Rosendale (03/12/03)
Saint Lawrence County (09/08/03)
Schenectady (08/11/03)
Schuyler County (12/08/03)
Syracuse (09/08/03)
Tompkins County (09/07/04)
Urbana (10/21/03)
Westchester County (09/14/04)
Woodstock (03/18/03)

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