American Civil Liberties Union

The legislative battle over gutting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will resume in the Senate in Washington on July 8.

Without a dramatic turnaround, it appears we will lose this important fight in the Senate over the gutting of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Amendments, including the one likely offered by Senators Dodd and Feingold to strip immunity from the bill are a valiant attempt to improve the bill. However such amendments are not likely to stem the tide of what looks to be certain passage of an unconstitutional bill. Nor are they likely to stop a final bill that immunizes the telecommunications companies that broke the law.

Last night, the House of Representatives adopted an important provision to end torture and abuse during interrogations. While the amendment's name sounds like an unpronounceable law firm: the Holt/Tauscher/Grijalva/Schakowsky Amendment (to the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act), the effect of the amendment, if enacted, would be powerful. The amendment requires the recording and retention of videos of interrogations of people in the Defense Department's custody. The amendment would bring these interrogations into line with recommended best practices for military and law enforcement interrogations — increasing accountability for compliance with anti-torture laws.