Opponents of Patriot Act Push to Change Parts of Law

An unusual coalition of conservative groups and the liberal American Civil Liberties Union opened a public campaign today to scale back the enhanced surveillance powers granted to law enforcement after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The alliance, Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, urged Congress to modify what it called “extreme provisions” of the USA Patriot Act that expanded police power to conduct secret searches and broadened the definition of terrorism.