Federal judge rules Patriot Act still too vague News
Federal judge rules Patriot Act still too vague

[JURIST] In California, US District Judge Audrey Collins ruled Friday that the provision of the USA Patriot Act that forbids "assistance" to known terrorist organizations continues to be overly vague, in violation of her 2004 ruling on the same provision [text, PDF]. The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, who was concerned about the possibility that the Act could theoretically be used to punish humanitarian aid workers in Sri Lanka or Turkey. The ruling did uphold the government's ban on providing "personnel" to terrorist organizations, finding that the definition of "personnel" was clear from other law. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

President Harding signed "anti-beer bill"

On November 23, 1921, President Warren G. Harding signed the Willis-Campbell Act, popularly termed the "anti-beer bill," prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes.

Convention on Cybercrimes opens for signature

On November 23, 2001, the Convention on Cybercrime was opened for signature in Budapest, Hungary, before entering into force on July 1, 2004. The Convention seeks to coordinate the Internet laws of signatory states and promote international enforcement of cybercrime laws. Learn more about the Convention on Cybercrime from the Council of Europe.