FIRST AMENDMENT, PRIVACY WIN IN CASE

In an important gain for both privacy rights and the First Amendment, on
Monday the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that a bookstore in that state
didn't have to give up customer sales records to a local police department,
which had sought them in a drug investigation. Even though the police
wanted to protect the community from drug trafficking, the ends didn't
justify the means.

The court, in its unanimous decision, wrote that the U.S. and Colorado
constitutions "protect an individual's fundamental right to purchase books
anonymously, free from governmental interference." In addition, the court
noted that when a customer buys a book, he "engages in activity protected
by the First Amendment because he is exercising his right to read and
receive ideas and information." In a time when there is more intrusion into
our private lives, it is reassuring to see a court uphold cherished freedoms.