Doe v. Gonzales

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John Doe v. Alberto R. Gonzales, 546 U.S. 1301 (2005), was a case in which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along with the Library Connection and some librarians challenged Section 2709 of the Patriot Act. John Doe was the recipient of a National Security Letter (NSL) that requested all information associated with one of his Connecticut library’s computers. § 2709 imposed a gag order on the recipients so they could neither inform anyone of receiving the letter, nor act as witnesses. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States acted as a single Circuit Justice for this case. She ruled against vacating the stay imposed by the Court of Appeals of the Second Circuit upon the Federal District Court’s preliminary injunction. Nearly a year later, the government dropped its demands and allowed the release of the NSL. The ACLU and Library Connection regarded the government’s withdrawal as a victory for all library users who valued their privacy [1].