Throughout the twenty-first century, domestic terrorism has grown into an important issue in the United States. After the infamous terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the federal government of the United States has placed a much larger emphasis on homeland security and preventing terrorism. On October 2, 2001, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT) was introduced in an attempt to improve homeland security. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 should not have passed because it violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, intrudes upon the First Amendment of the Constitution, but passed because of the widespread fear of terrorism across
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At 9:03 in the morning, another Boeing 767 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Fifteen minutes later, the South Tower collapsed, followed by the collapse of the North Tower at 10:30 in the morning. A fourth plane of an unknown target was hijacked the same morning, crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the plane’s passengers overtook the hijackers. Overall, 2,996 people were killed during the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The attacks were funded by the al-Qaeda terrorist group, led by Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda is an Islamic militant group part of the jihadist movement, headquartered in Afghanistan (“Al-Qaeda”). The jihadist movement is based off of jihad, “a religious duty imposed on Muslims to spread Islam by waging war” (“Jihad”). In total, 19 terrorists associated with Al Qaeda participated in the September 11th attacks (“Al-Qaeda”) It is thought that the motivation for the attacks were the United States’ support of Israel, role in the Persian Gulf War, and presence in the Middle East (“9/11 Attacks”). In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, The Patriot Act was passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The goal of the act was to increase homeland security in the United States …show more content…
The Fourth Amendment states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” (Friedman and Kerr). However, the USA PATRIOT Act amends several parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) and Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Title III) in such a manner that violates the civil liberties granted by the Fourth Amendment (Rackow 1657). FISA, specifically Section 702, permits United States intelligence officials to examine the “communications of foreigners outside the U.S. without a warrant” (Schallhorn), while Title III “established that governmental interception of an individual’s telephone conversation, conducted without the target’s consent, constitutes a search and seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment (Rackow 1658). Specifically, Section 218 of the USA PATRIOT Act alters FISA § 1804(a)(7)(B) such that a federal officer is no longer required to show that the sole purpose of surveillance is to achieve information of foreign intelligence, but
At 9:03 in the morning, another Boeing 767 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Fifteen minutes later, the South Tower collapsed, followed by the collapse of the North Tower at 10:30 in the morning. A fourth plane of an unknown target was hijacked the same morning, crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the plane’s passengers overtook the hijackers. Overall, 2,996 people were killed during the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The attacks were funded by the al-Qaeda terrorist group, led by Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda is an Islamic militant group part of the jihadist movement, headquartered in Afghanistan (“Al-Qaeda”). The jihadist movement is based off of jihad, “a religious duty imposed on Muslims to spread Islam by waging war” (“Jihad”). In total, 19 terrorists associated with Al Qaeda participated in the September 11th attacks (“Al-Qaeda”) It is thought that the motivation for the attacks were the United States’ support of Israel, role in the Persian Gulf War, and presence in the Middle East (“9/11 Attacks”). In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, The Patriot Act was passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The goal of the act was to increase homeland security in the United States …show more content…
The Fourth Amendment states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” (Friedman and Kerr). However, the USA PATRIOT Act amends several parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) and Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Title III) in such a manner that violates the civil liberties granted by the Fourth Amendment (Rackow 1657). FISA, specifically Section 702, permits United States intelligence officials to examine the “communications of foreigners outside the U.S. without a warrant” (Schallhorn), while Title III “established that governmental interception of an individual’s telephone conversation, conducted without the target’s consent, constitutes a search and seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment (Rackow 1658). Specifically, Section 218 of the USA PATRIOT Act alters FISA § 1804(a)(7)(B) such that a federal officer is no longer required to show that the sole purpose of surveillance is to achieve information of foreign intelligence, but