Supreme Court rejects appeal to lift gag order in Patriot Act case News
Supreme Court rejects appeal to lift gag order in Patriot Act case

[JURIST] US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg [Wikipedia profile] Friday rejected [PDF text] an emergency appeal filed by the ACLU [advocacy website] on behalf of Connecticut libraries seeking to overturn a gag order that prevents a library involved in the litigation from revealing its name, and bars its librarians from testifying in upcoming congressional hearings on the Patriot Act. The lawsuit, Doe v. Gonzales, [PDF complaint], challenges a National Security Letter [ACLU backgrounder] provision of the Patriot Act [JURIST document; JURIST news archive] that permits the FBI to demand a wide range of personal records of library patrons, including library records and the identities of public computer users, without suspecting the library user of any wrongdoing. The gag order was reviewed in September by the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which suspended an earlier decision [JURIST report] by District Court judge Janet Hall to lift the gag order. Ginsburg, agreeing with the Court of Appeals, held that the case deserved “cautious review” and should not be decided hastily. Second Circuit arguments are scheduled for November 2nd. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.