A U.S. federal judge has ruled illegal parts of the revised USA Patriot Act, a controversial piece of anti-terror legislation. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled that investigators must have a court's approval before they can order Internet providers to turn over records without telling customers. Marrero said such orders must be subject to meaningful judicial review and that the recently rewritten Patriot Act “offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers.”The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the law on the grounds there was no way for a company to challenge the legitimacy of the information order.The ACLU said it was improper to issue so-called national security letters, or NSLs, without a judge's order. The ACLU complained that Congress' revision of the law didn't go far enough to protect people because the government could still order companies to turn over their records and remain silent about it, if the FBI determined that the case involved national security. The law as written “reflects an attempt by Congress and the executive to infringe upon the judiciary's designated role under the Constitution,” Marrero wrote.The Justice Department had no immediate comment, the Associated Press reported.
