Abstract
With its sweeping critique of the USA Patriot Act and the Bush administration's maneuvers in pursuit of terrorists, Equal Justice in the Balance is a look at American legal responses to terrorism, both before and after 9/11. The authors detail wide-ranging and persuasive evidence that American antiterrorism legislation has led to serious infringements of our civil rights. They show us how deviations from our fundamental principles of fairness and justice in times of heightened national anxiety - whether the Red Scare, World War II, or the War on Terrorism - have resulted in overreaction and excess, later requiring apologies and reparations to those victimized by a paranoia-driven justice system.