The Patroit Act

6 Pages 1510 Words

The Patriot Act had an overwhelming vote by Congress. This act helped law enforcement with new guidelines to detect and prevent terrorism in the United States. The United States of America Patriot Act was passed almost unanimously by the Senate, 98-1 and 357-66 in the House of Representatives. Congress also had the support of members from the political spectrum. Congress believes that “uniting and strengthening America by providing appropriate tools is required to intercepting and obstructing terrorism.” (www.lifeandliberty.gov) With this new act it strengths the government while avoiding the Fourth Amendments true intentions for America.

“The Department of Justice’s first priority is to prevent future terrorist attacks. Since its passage following the September 11th attacks, the Patriot Act has played a key part and often the leading role in a number of successful operations to protect innocent American from the deadly plans of terrorists dedicated to destroying America and our way of life. While the results have been important, in passing the Patriot Act, Congress provided for only modest, incremental changes in the law. Congress simply took existing legal principles and retrofitted them to preserve the lives and liberty of the American people from the challenges posed by the global terrorist network.” (www.lifeandliberty.gov)

In the late ‘60’s, the federal government used a sensitive eavesdropping device to overhear someone talking in a phone booth. The Supreme Court said the Constitution protects people’s privacy, not places. If the government wants to eavesdrop, if has to get a warrant. A wiretapping law was then made, largely to allow the government to use wiretaps. But the law still acknowledged the Fourth Amendment protection and required that if the government wants to tap your phone, it has to go to a judge and show cause.
In 1978, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was cre...