Civil rights lawyers have filed a challenge to a section of the Patriot Act that makes it illegal to provide "expert advice and assistance" to groups with alleged links to terrorists.
The federal ban is unconstitutionally vague and should be struck down, the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights argued in a motion filed Tuesday in federal court. ..
One of the plaintiffs in the case would like to work as a doctor in his war-torn homeland of Sri Lanka. Because some hospitals are controlled by rebel forces there, he fears he could be prosecuted for "providing material support" to a terrorist group, according to the filing.
"In its rush to pass the Patriot Act just six weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress overlooked one of our most fundamental rights the right to express our political beliefs, especially those that are controversial," attorney Nancy Chang said in a statement.
It was the second legal challenge in less than a week to the Patriot Act, which gives the government expanded surveillance powers and has been criticized by some as infringing on civil liberties.
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