Controversies Surrounding the The Patriot Act

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the controversy that still surrounds the Patriot Act and examines its impact on the law enforcement agencies and the Fourth Amendment. The USA Patriot Act, which was signed as law in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, gives sweeping powers of search and surveillance to the law enforcing agencies and is aimed at eliminating the terrorist activities in the U.S. The Department of Justice and the Bush administration claim that the Patriot Act has been instrumental in preventing further terrorist attacks in the U.S. after 9/11. However, the civil libertarians claim that the Act severely compromises the civil liberties granted in the U.S. Constitution and violates the due process law of the Fourth Amendment.

From the Paper:

"The Bush administration and the US Department of Justice insist that the Patriot Act is not aimed at restricting civil liberties and consists of only modest, incremental changes in the law in order to preserve the lives and liberty of the American people from the challenges posed by a global terrorist network. The Department of Justice Website claims that following its passage, the Patriot Act has played a key part in a number of successful operations to protect innocent Americans from the deadly plans of terrorists. (The USA PATRIOT Act: Preserving Life and Liberty, 2003) Others such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) beg to disagree and denounce the defense of the Act by the government as misleading and dishonest. Their main worry is that the expansion of police powers and the reduction of personal privacy do not make Americans any safer from terrorists - it only allows the government to interfere with the privacy of its citizens."

More papers on Controversies Surrounding the The Patriot Act:

• Argumentative Essay # 54830 : "The Patriot Act"
• Analytical Essay # 134468 : "Opposition and Support for the Patriot Act"
• Persuasive Essay # 74620 : "The Patriot Act"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: