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How did the Supreme Court interpret the USA PATRIOT Act's ban on material support in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project?
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USA PATRIOT Act
Pres. George W. Bush signing the USA PATRIOT Act in the East Room of the White House, Washington, D.C., October 26, 2001.
In Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project (2010), the U.S. Supreme Court addressed challenges to the USA PATRIOT Act's expansion of the definition of "material support" for terrorist organizations.
The Court held that the statuteās inclusion of "expert advice or assistance" within the definition of material support did not violate the First Amendment freedoms of speech and association. By upholding this provision, the Court affirmed that the government may constitutionally prohibit providing such support to designated terrorist groups, even when that support involves activities that might otherwise be considered protected speech or association.1