LAW 404Class 2, Problem of the Day 3:HLP v. U.S.IssueThe issue presented is whether or not the USA Patriot Act's ban on assisting known terroristgroups is a violation to the First Amendment as applied to HLP's training activities.RuleUnder the First Amendment, congress cannot restrict political speech; however, an exception willbe made if it is necessary to promote government interest.ApplicationThe government would probably argue that this provision does not restrict political speech, andinstead state that it restricts HLP's assistance. If it's found the it does restrict political speech,then the government would probably argue that it is then necessary to restrict the assistance forthe sake of government interest. Lastly, the government could potentially argue that HLP wouldbe assisting terrorist organization in violent conduct.HLP, on the other hand, would likely shut down that argument and state that they are acting inthe governments interest by encouraging peaceful interactions and decreasing violence. HLPwould also likely emphasize on how vague the provision is.ConclusionIn considering the arguments listed above, the Court is likely state the provision is not vague andwill prohibit assistance to terrorist groups. This would find that the First Amendment right to freepolitical speech is not violated