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05/14/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: Week of May 14–18, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:39pm

This week the House will debate the NDAA for fiscal year 2013. We'll be monitoring the debate and pulling for an amendment that fixes the terrible detention provisions in last year's bill.

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04/30/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: Week of April 30 – May 5, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:00pm

Congress is out this week, but May will be a busy month with cybersecurity in the Senate, the 2013 NDAA and the arraignment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

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04/23/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: Week of April 23 – 27, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:04pm

This week, Wednesday is a big day for immigrants' rights advocates: The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Arizona v. United States, the Justice Department's challenge to S.B. 1070, Arizona's racial profiling law. The ACLU will be participating in two briefings today and tomorrow, and will be attending the argument.

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04/16/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: Week of April 16 – 20, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 11:29am

Congress is back in session, so we've got a busy week ahead.

Today, the ACLU, along with several other groups, is launching a weeklong campaign called "Stop Cyber Spying Week" to draw attention to the massive civil liberties problems in H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, better known as CISPA. CISPA is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives next week. Tomorrow ACLU Legislative Counsel Michelle Richardson will speak at a House Hill Briefing called "The False Choice: Cybersecurity vs. Civil Liberties."

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04/09/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: Week of April 9-13, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:02pm

Congress is still in recess this week, but we're looking ahead and planning on some big events later in the month.

Equal Pay Day will fall on April 17 this year, marking how far women, on average, have to work into 2012 to be paid the same as men were paid in 2011. The ACLU is working in conjunction with the Obama administration and the Paycheck Fairness Coalition to roll out material and promote issues of fair pay, including gaining congressional support for the Paycheck Fairness Act and urging the president to sign an executive order banning retaliation for wage disclosure in federal contracting.

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04/02/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: Week of April 2-6, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:56pm

Congress is in recess this week and next, so it's quiet on the legislative front.

Today in prisoners' rights, ACLU National Prison Project director David Fathi will testify in favor of closing Tamms Correctional Center at a hearing before the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability in Ullin, Ill. Tamms is a supermax prison where prisoners are held in long-term solitary confinement, often for a decade or longer.

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03/26/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: March 26-30, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 10:20am

All eyes will be on the Supreme Court this week, as the justices hear a case that challenges President Obama's health care law. As we explain below, the Court will devote three days to the case.

As we've pointed out repeatedly, more oversight is needed of the TSA, so we'll be watching a hearing on the agency's effectiveness on Monday as well. The rest of the week rounds out with immigration, reproductive rights and lots of cybersecurity hearings.

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03/19/2012

On the Agenda: March 19 - 23, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:10pm

This week, the Senate is expected to begin floor consideration of S. 1925, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. There are multiple areas of ACLU interest with respect to this legislation, including LGBT-inclusive provisions, housing protections for victims of domestic violence, and protections against abuse for immigrants in detention.

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03/16/2012

This Week in Civil Liberties (3/16/2012)

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 5:30pm

What kind of information do Kansas lawmakers want to withhold from expecting mothers?

Over in Arizona, what do that state's legislators want to make a fireable offense?

What kinds of pharmaceuticals were two men prevented from purchasing by the pharmacists?

What is iPhone 4S's Siri doing with your personal information?

What capabilities could domestic drones manufacturers offer U.S. law enforcement?

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03/12/2012

On the Agenda: March 12 - 16, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:02pm

The House is in recess this week, but we've got a couple of Senate hearings and a filing in our Predator Drone Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, which seeks the disclosure of information about the targeted killing program. (Here's our response to the speech Attorney General Eric Holder's made last Monday about targeted killings.)

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