SAN FRANCISCO — Siding with the government over civil libertarians and communications companies, a federal judge in San Francisco has found that so-called national security letters issued by the federal government pass constitutional muster.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Susan Illston is the latest in a long-running legal fight over the letters, which are used to gather information from companies as part of national security investigations. Three years ago Illston found that indefinite gag orders, placed on a pair of communication service providers that received national security letters, violated the companies’ free speech rights.

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