So, we should consider recent events in context. The legislation amending FISA is unwarranted, reckless and possibly unconstitutional. Nonetheless, the overall state of civil liberties in the U.S., viewed in histor
By Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:35pm
Two charges dropped against Lt. Col. Steve Jordan after military court determines that he wasn't read his rights before being interviewed by a senior officer (to whom he allegedly lied about abuse at Abu Ghraib).
The charges against Jordan were tossed when it was learned Jordan was not re
The central charge against Mr. Padilla was that he conspired to murder, maim and kidnap people in a foreign country. The charge is a serious one, and it can carry a life sentence. But prosecutors nee
By Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 6:53pm
What to make of this? Mr. Padilla, convicted on all counts, guilty of murder conspiracy and two other charges, based almost exclusively on a grainy reproduction of an alleged "application form" filled out in an attempt to attend an al Qaeda training camp in 2000.
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U.S. military operations associated with the troop increase in Baghdad have boosted the number of detainees held in American facilities in Iraq to about 23,000, up 5,000 from four months ago, acco
By Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:29pm
Slate's Dahlia Lithwick on the surreal absurdity of the government's arguments yesterday in the NSA spying appeals:
Early in the argument in the first case, Hepting v. AT&T, Judge McKeown asked Deputy Solicitor General Gregory G. Garre whether President Bush still stood behind his statement tha
By Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:39pm
Six more detainees have been repatriated, bringing the total down at Gitmo to around 355 with 80 still cleared for release.
Also, of the 14 "high-value" detainees transferred from CIA custody recently, all have been deemed "enemy combatants." Interestingly though,
By Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:29pm
I honestly don't know what to make of this development (though I'm ecstatic there's movement on the detainee front). We know the State Department has been pushing hard for repatriation. Guess it finally stuck.
