Apparently stung by a defeat in the House of Representatives, the Justice Department is stepping up its efforts to build support for the USA Patriot Act. Attorney General John Ashcroft has begun a series of appearances around the country that are intended to counter criticisms of the Patriot Act that have been made by booksellers, librarians and others. Ashcroft has also asked federal prosecutors to contact members of Congress to express their support for the law.

The Patriot Act campaign comes in the wake of the surprising vote by the House on July 22 to bar the FBI from conducting "sneak and peak" searches of private property. These searches were authorized by the Patriot Act, and the vote to bar them marks the first time either house of Congress has shown interest in restricting the vast surveillance powers that were given to the FBI after the September 11 attacks. The amendment was sponsored by C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-ID). Click here for a Bookselling This Week report on the Justice Department initiative.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dealt the latest blow to efforts to censor the Internet when it upheld a lower court ruling declaring a Vermont law unconstitutional. ABFFE and the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center joined members of the Media Coalition in challenging the law, which bans the display of material that is "harmful to minors" on the Internet. The plaintiffs argued that the law violates the First Amendment rights of adults as well as older minors.

In related news, the Justice Department has announced that it is appealing a decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that held the federal Child Online Protection Act (COPA) unconstitutional. COPA is the inspiration for the Vermont law and many of the other state statutes that ABFFE and other members of Media Coalition have challenged. The appeal means that the U.S. Supreme Court will be asked to rule for the second time on a federal Internet censorship law. It struck down the previous effort, the Communications Decency Act. Click here for a Bookselling This Week story on the Vermont case.

"Reading Your Rights," a documentary about the Tattered Cover Book Store's two-year fight against a search warrant for customer records will premiere at several regional bookseller shows this fall. Created by the Just Media Fund, the documentary traces the case from the issuance of the warrant for the records of a suspected drug dealer to the unanimous Colorado Supreme Court decision supporting the store. The film will begin appearing on PBS stations this fall, but booksellers at a number of regional shows will get a chance to see it first. It will be shown during ABFFE programs at the Southeast Booksellers Association show on Sept. 19 at 10 a.m.; Mountains and Plains, Oct. 3, 11 a.m.; and, Great Lakes, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. Click here for a Bookselling This Week story on "Reading Your Rights."

Banned Books Week will be celebrated this year during the week of Sept. 20-27. To help you promote the freedom to read, ABFFE has developed a number of products using the fREADom logo that it introduced to rave reviews at this year's BookExpo America. You can order buttons, T-shirts, bumper stickers and paper stickers by calling ABFFE or ordering online at https://www.abffe.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv. ABFFE members receive a significant discount. If you're not a member already, join today and help us defend the freedom to read. Call ABFFE at (212)587-4025 or e-mail Tim Eubanks, tim@abffe.com.

Normally, ABFFE makes Banned Books Week kits available for free to all members of the American Booksellers Association who request them. The kit includes three posters and a list of books that were challenged over the last year (including Harry Potter!). Unfortunately, budget constraints make it impossible for ABFFE to distribute the kits for free this year. This year's kit may be ordered from the American Library Association for $29 by using the the link at the bottom of ABFFE's Banned Books page, http://www.abffe.com/banned.htm. You can also call Jen Hammond at the American Library Association, (800) 545-2433 , ext. 4220. We are hopeful that ABFFE will be able to resume the free distribution of the kits next year.