Bush’s Patriot Act unconstitutional, says judge

PART of the Patriot Act, a central plank of the Bush Administration’s war on terror, was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge yesterday.

US District Judge Victor Marreo ruled in favour of the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the power the FBI has to demand confidential financial records from companies as part of terrorism investigations.

The ruling was the latest blow to the Bush administration’s anti-terrorism policies.