An article titled “My National Security Letter Gag Order” appears in today’s Washington Post, and although it isn’t written by a librarian, it puts a face on what being served a National Security Letter might be like.
I am not as concerned with the gag order as I am with the fact that there is no judicial oversight of the issuance of the letters, but each aspect troubles me.
Gag orders designed to prevent tipping off suspects to an investigation are sometimes necessary, but to make the gag order include not being able to question the process under which the order was served strays, in my opinion, into one’s right to petition, as well as stretching the Fourth Amendment beyond its intended meaning.
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