New Report from ACLU on "Sneak and Peek" Warrants Permitted by Patriot Act

The ACLU reports that between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010 federal judges permitted government "sneak and peak" warrants permitted by the Patriot Act. The ACLU contacted the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to obtain up-to-date numbers on how frequently the government uses the "sneak and peek" searches (also called delayed-notice searches), a government surveillance tool authorized by the Patriot Act. The report (available here) shows that in 2010, sneak and peek warrants were issued more than twice as often as in 2009, and more than three times as often as in 2008.