Government Redactions Political?

Ever wonder what is behind those blacked out lines in supposedly sensitive government materials? It seems as if the government attempted to censor a quote from a Supreme Court opinion in one of the ACLU's court filings over the Patriot Act.

The following quote from United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern Dist. of Mich., 407 U.S. 297, 314 (1972) was initially redacted:

"The danger to political dissent is acute where the Government attempts to act under so vague a concept as the power to protect 'domestic security.' Given the difficulty of defining the domestic security interest, the danger of abuse in acting to protect that interest becomes apparent."

To view a copy of the original document go to the Memory Hole

For more material and background info visit the ACLU website