'Terror watchlist violates constitutional rights': US Judge

Alexandria: A federal judge has ruled that the government's watchlist of more than 1 million people identified as "known or suspected terrorists" violates the constitutional rights of those placed on it.

The ruling Wednesday from Judge Anthony Trenga grants a summary judgement to nearly two dozen Muslim U.S. citizens who challenged the watchlist with the help of a Muslim civil-rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

But the judge is seeking additional legal briefs before deciding what remedy to impose.

The plaintiffs say they were wrongly placed on the list, and the government's process for adding names is overbroad and riddled with errors.

The watchlist is disseminated to a variety of governmental departments, foreign governments and police agencies.

The FBI, which administers the list, did not return messages Wednesday seeking comment.