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January 25, 2006
Senators' stalemate over privacy, civil liberties and the Patriot Act
A congressional stalemate has emerged as members of congress try to hash out terms for extending and revising the USA Patriot Act. Key areas of dispute revolve around privacy and civil liberties. Key figures include Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H.
The main disagreements center on provisions that allow FBI agents to obtain records on terrorism suspects, who have very limited options for challenging such searches. Specter has said the law allows adequate "judicial review" of proposed searches. But Sununu and his allies say the law makes it virtually impossible for targeted people to prevail, even if they have no ties to terrorism.
The current Patriot Act was set to expire on Dec. 31 but has been extended to Feb. 3.
Posted by Laura Spadanuta at January 25, 2006 01:28 PM
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