American Civil Liberties Union

Happy Birthday, HC! Your very existence has kept countless people from being arbitrarily imprisoned for an indefinite length of time solely because those in power believed they had the right to do so. Freedom vanishes when only a select few have exclusive rights which are not granted to others; your guarantee against arbitrary imprisonment will always be a necessary component of genuine freedom. -Harvey Flushing, NY The writ of habeas corpus has been an important instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action. And it's been the most efficient safeguard of liberty. We should give every person -- even those people accused of the most serious crimes -- a fair trial in a neutral court. -Kathleen Livingston, TX