The Associated Press reports that prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking the identities of thousands of people who bought used books through Amazon.com. "The withdrawal came after a judge ruled the customers have a First Amendment right to keep their reading habits from the government." Prosecutors sought the information as part of an investigation into a third-party bookseller on Amazon Marketplace who allegedly failed to report his income.

The AP quotes the judge's June ruling: "The subpoena is troubling because it permits the government to peek into the reading habits of specific individuals without their knowledge or permission. It is an unsettling and un-American scenario to envision federal agents nosing through the reading lists of law-abiding citizens while hunting for evidence against somebody else."

Jury selection and trial against the bookseller is set for February 25, 2008, in the Western District of Wisconsin, according to court records.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gz0slCB4SYJCVk2J3xbYHM6R55oAD8T68B3G2