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Yesterday, in a historic ruling, federal Judge Victor Marrero struck down the National Security Letters provision of the amended Patriot Act, ruling that the statutes . Today Melissa Goodman, one of the lead attorneys in the case,

At the end of the day, this ruling articulates a critical principle that bears repeating - national security cannot be used as a blanket excuse for the abuse of executive power. Today Judge Marrero ruled that our nation is built on the three branches of government, one who makes the law, one who executes the law and another who interprets the law - but none who are above it.

In his opinion, Judge Marrero asserted the importance of checks and balances, citing two historic Supreme Court decisions, the , and , as examples of the court wrongly ceding authority to the executive and legislative branches.

As Judge Marrero took a stand for the judicial branch, he also took a stand for all Americans who value their privacy and the Bill of Rights.