Justice Department Fights to Use National-Security Letters

A federal district court judge declared in September that national security letters are unconstitutional. On Monday the U.S. Justice Department announced its intention to appeal the ruling, signaling that the fight between academic librarians and the government over the legality of the secret orders won’t be over any time soon.

The orders require businesses and organizations, possibly including libraries, to provide the FBI——without a judge’s approval——their electronic files on patrons and subscribers. Recipients are barred from discussing the orders with anyone but their lawyers.——Andrea L. Foster