ETS Pictures

PATRIOT Act ruling

9th circuit district court judge Ann Aiken issued a ruling today in a case which dealt with a provision of the USA PATRIOT Act. The case was brought by Brandon Mayfield, a Portland lawyer who had been mistakenly detained by the FBI in connection with the 2004 Madrid train bombings. The case was argued by high-profile civil rights attorney Gerald Spence.

Judge Aiken's opinion held that a portion of the PATRIOT Act - specifically its provision allowing FISA searches in criminal investigations - was unconstitutional. We covered debates over this and other PATRIOT Act provisions in our 2004 program "Security and the Constitution."

Judge Aiken was also recently in the news for sentencing the co-defendants in the "Operation Backfire" arson cases.

Greatest Generation Film Series on TPT

ETS Pictures contributed a segment to the Minnesota Historical Society's "Greatest Generation Film Series," which is airing on Twin Cities Public Television later this month. The series examines stories from Minnesota's World War II generation. The first broadcast will be on September 29th, at 8:00 PM, on the Minnesota Channel (Channel 17).

"Intent" documentary to be fed to PBS

The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) has acquired "Intent: Searching For Meaning In The Constitution" for PBS feed. The feed will occur on October 13th, from 9:00-10:00 PM, EDT. Watch this space for more information.