In a case over a key provision of the USA Patriot Act, the Department of Justice has relented and allowed a group of Connecticut librarians to identify themselves as having been the recipients of requests for information on library visitors under so-called national security letters.
Reported in this morning's NY Times, this step not only ends this particular case but offers the prospect of shedding more light on this Administration's use of such Patriot Act provisions and the extent to which they have been to pursue cases outside of terrorism.
The litigation had been pursued on behalf of this group by the American Civil Liberties Union, which plans to disclose its clients' identities once the proceedings in the case are completed.