ACLU Announces Agenda For 111th Congress
Top leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union call on the newly-installed 111th Congress to defend the fundamental freedoms of all Americans. In a letter to every member of Congress, the ACLU outlined its legislative agenda.

"The gaveling of the 111th Congress is an opportunity to renew America's founding principles," said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director fo the ACLU. "For years, our country has slid farther and farther away from its ideals - but the damage in not irreparable. Now is the time to turn back the clock on eight years of shameful policies and again become an America we can all be proud of."  Read more >>

Fusion Center Declares Nation’s Oldest Universities Possible Terrorist Threat (4/6/2009)
WASHINGTON – A recently published “terrorism threat assessment” from a Virginia fusion center says the state’s universities and colleges are “nodes for radicalization” and encourages law enforcement to monitor First Amendment-protected activities of educational and religious foundations as terrorism threats. The document, which drew concern today from the American Civil Liberties Union over its constitutional implications, also characterizes the “diversity” surrounding a Virginia military base and the state’s “historically black” colleges as possible threats. The March 2009 document, which claims there are currently at least fifty active “terrorist and extremist” groups in Virginia, is posted on the website www.cryptome.com.

ACLU Calls For Internal DHS Investigations On Fusion Centers (4/1/2009)
WASHINGTON – As a Homeland Security Subcommittee in the House held a hearing on fusion centers today, the American Civil Liberties Union reiterated its vast concerns that these entities provide huge risks to Americans’ privacy rights.   

House Hearing Will Examine Illegal Profiling and Police Misconduct By Local Law Enforcement Acting As Federal Immigration Agents (4/1/2009)
WASHINGTON – Two House Judiciary Committee Subcommittees will hold a joint hearing tomorrow to examine civil rights abuses committed by state and local police functioning as federal immigration agents. As part of the hearing entitled, “The Public Safety and Civil Rights Implications of State and Local Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws,” the American Civil Liberties Union in written testimony will urge Congress to suspend all local immigration enforcement agreements that have resulted in illegal profiling of Latinos and unlawful detention and deportation of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.  

Problematic Human Smuggling And Terrorism Bill Passes House (4/1/2009)
WASHINGTON – Yesterday the House of Representatives passed flawed immigration legislation that would prevent some innocent Americans from returning to their home country and would fail to protect U.S. humanitarian relief providers from criminal prosecution for human smuggling and harboring. The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Senate to correct this problematic legislation before moving it forward.

Justice Department Finds DNA Collection From Arrestees Overloads Backlog In Crime Labs (3/30/2009)
WASHINGTON – In response to this month’s audit from the Justice Department’s Inspector General (IG) finding that excessive DNA collection laws exacerbate delays in DNA analysis, the American Civil Liberties Union reiterates its view that federal and state laws seeking to collect DNA samples from people not yet convicted of a crime are unconstitutional and problematic.

Inadequately Funded Public Defender Services Threaten Criminal Justice System, ACLU Testifies (3/26/2009)
WASHINGTON – American Civil Liberties Union attorney Robin L. Dahlberg testified today before a House subcommittee about the need for congressional and state oversight of inadequately funded and administered indigent defense programs.  The hearing held by the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security of the House Judiciary Committee was entitled, “Representation of Indigent Defendants in Criminal Cases: A Constitutional Crisis in Michigan and Other States?”

House Votes To Create Privacy Officers At DHS (3/24/2009)
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives passed legislation today that creates a privacy official for each division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If established by law, these new positions would be responsible for ensuring privacy laws and regulations are followed by DHS.

Legislation Introduced To Strengthen Freedom of Information Act (3/18/2009)
WASHINGTON – The Senate this week signaled its intention to improve government transparency as Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced legislation to improve and strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The OPEN FOIA Act’s introduction follows a January presidential memorandum directing government agencies to comply swiftly and thoroughly with FOIA requests. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomes the legislation.

Over-Zealous Intelligence Gathering Warrants Strict Congressional Oversight, ACLU Testifies (3/18/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union testified today before a House subcommittee about the strong need for oversight in intelligence gathering and dissemination at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment hearing examined  the definition of “homeland security intelligence;”  the Department's role in developing it as a new intelligence discipline; and how the Department and others can provide state, local and tribal authorities with national threat awareness while building privacy and civil liberties protections into the process.

ACLU Releases Comprehensive Report On Patriot Act Abuses (3/11/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union released a comprehensive report today examining widespread abuses that have occurred under the USA Patriot Act, a law that was rushed through Congress just 45 days after September 11. In the almost eight years since the passage of the controversial national security law, the Patriot Act has led to egregious government misconduct.

Omnibus Appropriations Bill Advances Reproductive Health Care (3/11/2009)
WASHINGTON –Within 24 hours, the United States Senate passed and President Obama signed into law an appropriations bill that, as part of funding for the federal government for fiscal year 2009, advances reproductive health care for women and reduces funding for abstinence-only programs.  

Congress To Hold Hearing Tomorrow On “Virtual Fence” (3/9/2009)
WASHINGTON – The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security is scheduled to hold a hearing tomorrow morning to examine the status of the “virtual fence,” a system of cameras and radar devices designed to monitor illegal border crossings. The hearing, entitled, “Secure Border Initiative and Control of the Land Border,” will address problems confronting the construction of the “fence” which is part of the Secure Border Initiative Network, a Department of Homeland Security endeavor that has been in the works for more than a decade.

House Hearing Today Will Examine Problems With Local Immigration Enforcement (3/4/2009)
WASHINGTON – The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing today to examine immigration enforcement agreements between localities and the federal government. As part of the hearing entitled, “Examining 287(g): the Role of State and Local Law Enforcement in Immigration Law,” the American Liberties Union will urge Congress to temporarily suspend and then provide long-overdue federal oversight of these agreements which have resulted in illegal profiling of Latinos.  Immigration enforcement by local law enforcement, including sheriffs, has also resulted in the unlawful detention and deportation of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.  

Senate Hears Testimony On Proposed Truth Commission (3/4/2009)
WASHINGTON – A key Senate committee met today to hear testimony from constitutional experts and legal scholars to determine the focus and scope of a proposed “truth commission” to investigate the national security and executive power policies of the Bush administration. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) initiated the hearing after announcing last month that he sought to form the commission.

House Hearing Spotlights Need For Better Health Services For Immigration Detainees (3/3/2009)
WASHINGTON – Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) today hosted a crime summit entitled, “Smart on Crime Policies: Increase Public Safety, Reduce Costs, and Improve Lives.”  The half-day forum included three panels, each exploring a different aspect of crime policy including prevention/intervention, sentencing alternatives and the collateral consequences of criminal convictions.  

Obama Administration Initiates Review Of Bush Health Care Denial Rule (2/27/2009)
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is initiating a review of an ill-advised Bush administration rule that allows health care workers and facilities to refuse to provide reproductive health care services, even at the expense of patient safety. The rule, pushed through in the waning hours of the Bush administration despite public objection,threatens access to basic reproductive health services, including contraception and counseling for abortion care.   

Senate Intelligence Committee To Investigate CIA Detention And Interrogation (2/27/2009)
WASHINGTON – Multiple news reports today indicate that the Senate Intelligence Committee will launch an investigation into the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) detention and interrogation programs. The investigation will seek to uncover how the agency was given the authority to establish black site prisons abroad to indefinitely detain individuals, as well as to interrogate them using torture and abuse. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomes the committee’s investigation, and calls for the proceedings and findings to be open to the public.

House Bill Adopts Humane And Enforceable Standards For Immigration Detention Facilities (2/26/2009)
WASHINGTON – In the wake of three immigration detainee deaths over the last six months, Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) introduced legislation today to adopt humane and legally enforceable standards for immigration detention facilities. The need for Congress to pass such legislation is underscored by recent deaths of immigration detainees in Monroe, Louisiana, Farmville, Virginia and Central Falls, Rhode Island. This bill, H.R. 1215, Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act of 2009, provides basic protections for immigration detainees including access to medical care, phones, legal materials, and law libraries. It also ensures protections for unaccompanied children, sexual abuse victims, survivors of torture, families with children and other vulnerable populations.  

Senator Leahy Calls Hearing To Discuss Truth Commission To Investigate Bush Administration Abuses Of Power (2/25/2009)
WASHINGTON – On the Senate floor today, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, announced that his committee will hold a hearing next week to discuss proceeding with a “truth commission” to investigate the abuses of power of the Bush administration. Next week’s hearing will likely focus on how an independent commission could be constituted and the scope of the issues it would examine.

Fusion Center Encourages Improper Investigations Of Lobbying Groups And Anti-War Activists (2/25/2009)
WASHINGTON – A Texas fusion center’s “Prevention Awareness Bulletin” made public last night is the latest example of inappropriate police intelligence operations targeting political, religious and social activists for investigation. The North Central Texas Fusion System bulletin states that it is “imperative for law enforcement officers to report” the activities of lobbying groups, Muslim civil rights organizations and anti-war protest groups in their areas.     

DHS Head Napolitano To Testify Wednesday In Congress For First Time (2/24/2009)
WASHINGTON – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano is scheduled to testify tomorrow before the House Homeland Security Committee as part of the hearing titled, “DHS: The Path Forward.” The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the committee to inquire into the secretary’s views on key DHS policies, where the balance between security and civil liberties was often skewed under the Bush administration. Employment verification (E-Verify) and Real ID are both areas that need thorough revamping in order to respect the constitutional rights of all Americans.

Bipartisan Crime Prevention Bill Takes Smart Approach to Juvenile Justice (2/13/2009)
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced H.R.1064 and S. 435, identical House and Senate bills to fund prevention and intervention programs that are comprehensive, community-centered and evidence-based efforts to combat gangs and youth violence.

Flawed Employment Verification Stripped Out Of Stimulus Package By Conference Committee (2/13/2009)
WASHINGTON – A requirement to use a flawed employment verification program (E-Verify) for all recipients of stimulus funding was stripped out of the conference report for the economic stimulus package on Capitol Hill today. The American Civil Liberties Union applauds this development, noting that if the E-Verify mandate had been included, the stimulus package could have failed to achieve its objective of putting unemployed Americans back to work. E-Verify, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiative, checks employees’ citizenship status against Social Security Administration and DHS files that are plagued with errors.

House Hears Testimony On International Free Speech Issue (2/12/2009)
WASHINGTON – The ACLU called on Congress today to take steps to prevent foreign countries from restricting the free speech rights of Americans inside the U.S. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law heard testimony from a panel of experts on a phenomenon called “libel tourism.”   

ACLU And U.S. Chamber Support Stripping Basic Pilot Provision From Stimulus Plan (2/11/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union and the United States Chamber of Commerce today joined together to urge the conferees of the stimulus legislation to strip a provision that would require businesses to use an experimental and flawed employment verification system to hire workers. Both groups warned that the new mandate would lead to major layoffs and delays in hiring workers.

State Secrets Fix Introduced In House (2/11/2009)
WASHINGTON – With today’s introduction of legislation to rein in the overbroad use of the state secrets privilege, the executive branch may soon have one less tool in its chest to stymie legitimate cases against government misconduct. A bill introduced in the House will aim to narrow the scope of the privilege and could open the courthouse doors to people who have suffered real and legitimate harm by the government. The government has attempted to block several important lawsuits with an overbroad and improper assertion of “state secrets,” most recently this week in the ACLU’s case against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen DataPlan for its role in facilitating extraordinary rendition.   

White House Announces Troubling Faith-Based Order (2/5/2009)
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama announced today that he is taking the unprecedented and troubling step of forming a federal advisory committee to be made up mostly of religious leaders. Also of great concern, President Obama will increase federal funds going to religious organizations without first changing the Bush-era rules allowing federally-funded religious organizations to apply religious hiring tests to employees. 

House Passes Bill To Expand Reporting Of Immigrant Deaths In Detention (2/4/2009)
WASHINGTON – In the wake of recent reports about the November death of an immigrant detainee at the Piedmont Regional Jail in Virginia, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill today that encourages detention facilities to promptly report detainee deaths to the U.S. attorney general. Under the Deaths In Custody Reporting Act, which reauthorizes and expands an existing Bureau of Justice Statistics program, state and federally-run facilities that receive funding from the federal government will lose ten percent of their allotment if they fail to provide details of detainee deaths in a timely fashion. The American Civil Liberties Union urges the Senate to follow suit and also pass the law, which is sponsored by Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA).  

House Passes Bill Providing Redress For Those Erroneously Placed On Watch Lists (2/4/2009)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill late last night establishing a process for innocent Americans to challenge their erroneous placement on government watch lists. The inaccurate and over-inclusive lists ensnare innocent travelers and waste resources that could be spent on effective counterterrorism efforts.

ACLU Praises Obama’s Swift Signing Of Pay Discrimination Legislation (1/29/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today the American Civil Liberties Union applauds President Barack Obama’s speedy enactment of legislation reversing the Supreme Court ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear, in which employees lost their right to their day in court for ongoing wage discrimination. Less than 48 hours ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate approved version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act by a vote of 250-177, sending the bill to President Obama’s desk.

ACLU Calls On Congress And President Obama To Renew Their Commitment To Greater Family Planning Access (1/28/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today was disappointed to learn that the Medicaid Family Planning State Option provision was removed from the economic stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, currently under consideration by Congress.  The ACLU calls on President Obama and Congress to renew their support for this important family planning measure that would expand access to reproductive health care, including contraception, for low-income Americans and serve as a huge cost saving measure for the federal government.  

ACLU Hails Swift Progress Of Pay Disparities Bill (1/27/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by a vote of 250-177, S. 181, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a bill that restores an employee’s ability to bring a claim of wage discrimination as long as her employer continues unlawfully to pay her less than her co-workers. This legislation re-establishes rights virtually stripped away by the Supreme Court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear, which denied most workers their day in court to battle pay discrimination.  

Privacy Needed For Health IT Implementation (1/27/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today, just an hour before the Senate Finance Committee meets to consider the economic stimulus package, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing titled “Health IT: Protecting Americans’ Privacy in the Digital Age.” Health IT systems were included in the House of Representatives version of the stimulus and are likely to be a part of the Senate version. The American Civil Liberties Union applauds the Judiciary Committee for bringing this crucial topic up for discussion and calls on the Senate to adopt the privacy protections included in the House version of the package.

ACLU Hails Senate Passage Of Pay Disparity Bill (1/22/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today, by a vote of 61 to 36, the Senate passed S. 181, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a bill that clarifies the legal time limits for employees to fight pay discrimination. The American Civil Liberties Union applauded passage of the bill without any amendments, which would have weakened employee safeguards.

ACLU Applauds Privacy Safeguards In Stimulus Package For Health IT (1/16/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union was pleased to see privacy protections as a part of the funding being provided for health IT implementation in the economic stimulus package introduced in the House of Representatives this afternoon. Following the incoming administration’s call for a transition to electronic health records and IT systems, Congress has earmarked $20 billion of the overall package to be used for beginning this transfer and adoption. The ACLU has reservations that without sufficient protections against the abuse of individual medical records, notably prohibiting the sale of private medical records, implementation should not move forward.

ACLU Welcomes Homeland Security Nominee Napolitano's Commitment to Reexamine Real ID (1/15/2009)
WASHINGTON – In her Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs confirmation hearing to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) called the Real ID Act a fiscal burden on the states and committed to a reexamination of the DHS initiative. She also said the Bush administration did not collaborate enough with the states before moving forward with its implementation.

Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Advances in Senate (1/15/2009) WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate invoked cloture on a bill that clarifies the legal time limits for employees to challenge wage discrimination. Senators advanced the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, S. 181, by a vote of 72-23.

ACLU Recommends Privacy Protections for Successful Health IT Implementation (1/15/2009)
WASHINGTON – As the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions meets today for a hearing on implementing health IT systems, the American Civil Liberties Union cautions that failure to include privacy safeguards would keep the American public from adopting and participating in these systems. The full committee hearing, titled “Investing in Health IT: A Stimulus for a Healthier America,” seeks to examine the possibility that funds for implementing health IT systems be included in the economic stimulus package being proposed by the incoming administration and the new Congress.

ACLU Pushes for Passage of Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (1/14/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today, in advance of a Senate vote taking place as soon as tomorrow, the American Civil Liberties Union sent senators a letter urging passage of a bill that clarifies the legal time limits for employees to fight pay discrimination.

ACLU Calls For Clean Break With Bush’s Human Rights Legacy (1/14/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union joined 10 other advocacy groups in calling on President-elect Obama to take swift action to restore basic human rights damaged under the Bush administration.

Privacy is Key to Achieving Successful Health IT Integration (1/14/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations belonging to the Coalition for Patient Privacy are holding a press conference calling on Congress to add much-needed privacy protections to any funding given to implement health IT systems in the proposed economic stimulus package.

Inspector General Reports DOJ Civil Rights Division Committed Employment Discrimination (1/13/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union responded to a report by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility of the civil rights division, entitled “An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring and Other Improper Personnel Actions in the civil rights division.”

ACLU Announces Agenda For 111th Congress (1/13/2009)
WASHINGTON – Top leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union today called on the newly-installed 111^th Congress to defend the fundamental freedoms of all Americans. In a letter sent to every member of Congress, the ACLU outlined its legislative agenda.

ACLU Legislative Priorities for the 111th Congress (1/13/2009)

ACLU Launches New Video Surveillance Tracking Web Site Youarebeingwatched.us (1/12/2009)
WASHINGTON – As a growing number of American localities turn towards video surveillance systems – often prompted by grants from the Department of Homeland Security – the American Civil Liberties Union today announced the launch of YouAreBeingWatched.us, a new web site dedicated to tracking the spread of government video surveillance systems throughout American cities.

House Votes on Pay Equity Bills Signal Momentum for Wage Discrimination Safeguards (1/9/2009)
WASHINGTON – Today, as one of its first orders of business, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and H.R. 12, the Paycheck Fairness Act – a pay equity legislative package that helps employees to combat wage discrimination. The vote counts were 247-171 and 256-163, respectively. The ACLU urges swift action on these bills in the Senate.

ACLU Calls Swift Passage of Pay Equity Bills Strong Steps to Help Protect Wages (1/7/2009)
WASHINGTON – Ahead of the numerous economic indicators set to be released this week – including December payroll figures – all of which are expected to show a worsening US economy, the ACLU sent a letter to Congress urging speedy passage of a pay equity legislative package that gives employees tools to fight unfair wage disparities. This week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and H.R. 12, the Paycheck Fairness Act.

DHS Privacy Office Echoes ACLU’s Concerns With Fusion Centers (12/22/2008)
WASHINGTON – A privacy impact assessment issued by the Department of Homeland Security Privacy Office today officially validates concerns the ACLU raised last year about the dangers a network of intelligence “fusion centers” pose to privacy and civil liberties. An ACLU report entitled “What’s Wrong With Fusion Centers?” was published in November 2007 and updated earlier this year. The DHS privacy impact assessment released today echoes, sometimes word for word, the privacy concerns identified by the ACLU in these reports. The ACLU welcomes the findings of the assessment and hopes to assist the DHS privacy office improve privacy protections within these new institutions, which amount to nothing less than a full-fledged domestic intelligence system.

ACLU Welcomes Report’s Conclusions On Detainee Treatment In U.S. Custody (12/11/2008)
WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ) released the executive summary and conclusions of the committee’s long-awaited report on its inquiry into the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomes the release and applauds the committee for initiating the inquiry.

ACLU Applauds Passage of Human Trafficking Legislation (12/11/2008)
WASHINGTON – -- The American Civil Liberties Union applauds last night’s passage of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which, if signed by President Bush, would take great strides towards preventing the abuse, exploitation and trafficking of domestic workers employed by foreign diplomats in the United States. 

ACLU Briefs Key House Committee on Privacy (12/3/2008)
WASHINGTON – The House Homeland Security Committee hosted a series of roundtable discussions today to consider the future of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties at the Department of Homeland Security. Chairman Bennie Thompson invited scholars and experts from across the country, including the American Civil Liberties Union, to participate. The ACLU offered guidance on policies such as federal watch lists, border security, and increased information sharing among law enforcement – including the use of fusion centers.

ACLU Applauds Rep. Bobby Scott’s Youth Violence Summit (12/3/2008)
WASHINGTON – Today, as part of a youth violence summit hosted by Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), ACLU Legislative Counsel Jennifer Bellamy moderated a panel “Law Enforcement/Judicial Perspective on the Need for Prevention.” The purpose of the half-day issues forum, entitled “Empowering Communities to Combat Gang Crime: The Youth PROMISE Act,” is to address the need for evidence-based strategies for juvenile justice prevention and intervention.  

Problematic E-Verify Program Expanded to Include All Federal Contractors (11/14/2008)
WASHINGTON – Today, President Bush issued a final rule requiring all federal contractors to use E-Verify, a flawed governmental system to check the citizenship status of the workforce, as a condition of doing business with the federal government. This rule would also require re-verification of some current federal contracts. This unprecedented expansion will require the compliance of millions of governmental contractors, for which the systemic infrastructure simply does not exist.

ACLU Reacts to Extortion of Private Medical Records (11/7/2008)
WASHINGTON – In response to today’s news that the FBI is investigating an extortion letter threatening the release of millions of private medical records, the ACLU reiterates its demand for the protection of individual privacy for all electronic medical records. Express Scripts, a medical benefits management company, said it has been investigating the threat since October, when the extortion letter was received containing the names, dates of birth and social security numbers of approximately 75 clients. Express Scripts then notified the FBI, and has since ruled out the possibility of an internal breach.

Human Rights, Justice Advocate Jennifer Bellamy Is New ACLU Counsel for Criminal Justice (11/6/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today announced that Jennifer Bellamy is the new legislative counsel for criminal justice issues for the Washington Legislative Office in advance of her remarks on juvenile justice in an Obama administration. In Bellamy’s new role, she advocates on behalf of more than 500,000 ACLU members on a broad range of criminal justice issues including juvenile justice and drug policy reform, eliminating racial disparities in law enforcement practices and strengthening privacy protections for personal information such as DNA. 

ACLU Calls on the Inspectors General of the Intelligence Agencies to Follow the Law and Provide a Public Report on U.S. Wiretapping (10/24/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Inspectors General of the Intelligence Agencies to respect the rule of law and make legally required domestic surveillance reports to Congress completely and publically available.

ACLU Welcomes Introduction of Travelers’ Privacy Protection Act in Both Chambers of Congress (9/29/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union was pleased to see the Travelers’ Privacy Protection Act introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI)introduced S. 3612, with Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) signing on as original cosponsors, while Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced H.R. 7118. The proposed legislation is a response to the troubling stories that Americans reentering the United States have had their personal belongings, such as laptops, cell phones and digital cameras, confiscated and searched without probable cause.TheSenate and Housebills raise the privacy protections for travelers without sacrificing national security at our borders.

ACLU Applauds Senators Menendez and Kennedy for Bill to Protect U.S. Citizens from Unlawful Detention and Deportation (9/26/2008)
WASHINGTON - Last night, Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced legislation to protect U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents from being unlawfully detained and deported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).In the wake of sweeping immigration raids that have devastated communities across the country, the ACLU welcomes this bill, S.3594, The Protect Citizens and Residents from Unlawful Raids and Detention Act,as the first legislation to require DHS to follow due process standards in executing immigration raids.

ACLU Applauds Senate Judiciary Committee for Reauthorizing and Expanding Deaths in Custody Reporting Act (9/25/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to reauthorize and expand a Bureau of Justice Statistics program that will require the Attorney General and encourage states to report information regarding the deaths of individuals in the custody of federal, state, and local law enforcement.

Privacy vs. the Internet: Americans Should Not be Forced to Choose (9/25/2008)
WASHINGTON - The Senate Commerce Committee continued exploring the issue of Internet privacy and online marketing today with a hearing on Internet service providers' (ISPs) use of deep packet inspection (DPI). Use of this technology allows ISPs to scrutinize Internet users' e-mail and browsing activities, to monitor usage and communications traffic, and sell that information to advertisers or turn it over to government officials. The risks posed by this technology are significant and should not be underestimated. The ACLU urges members of the committee to zealously guard the privacy of the American people.

ACLU Commends House Oversight Hearing on Department of Justice’s Plan for 2008 Election (9/24/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee and the Elections Subcommittee of the House Administration Committee are scheduled to hold a joint hearing, entitled “Federal, State and Local Efforts to Prepare for the 2008 Election.” As part of this hearing, Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, will testify. Recently, Attorney General Mukasey told voting rights advocates that there was no greater priority in the next two months for DOJ than to ensure a smooth election in November. To keep this promise and to protect the fundamental right to vote, DOJ must be prepared prior to Election Day with a comprehensive plan. The ACLU, therefore, applauds this congressional oversight of DOJ’s preparations for the 2008 elections.

ACLU Urges Senate Judiciary to Subpoena Interrogation Documents (9/18/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote to authorize a subpoena for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to produce the legal opinions that approved harsh interrogations of detainees held by the United States. The committee has repeatedly requested these documents and has seen very little cooperation from DOJ. The Justice Department has provided some heavily redacted documents, which Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA) have called inadequate. If authorized, the subpoena would legally require DOJ to comply with the committee’s request.

Custody Reporting Act Must Demand Accountability in Federal Immigration Detention Facilities (9/18/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up a bill that reauthorizes a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) program, called the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, which is designed to report the deaths of prisoners and immigration detainees in local and state custody.The ACLU urges senators to strengthen the House-passed bill, H.R. 3971, the Deaths in Custody Reporting Act of 2008, by requiring federal detention facilities to report in-custody deaths to the attorney general.

ACLU Reaffirms Opposition To Unconstitutional FBI Guidelines (9/17/2008)
WASHINGTON- Following testimony before both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees this week, FBI Director Robert Mueller failed to dispel unease regarding new internal FBI guidelines governing investigations. Yesterday and today, members of both committees sought reassurances that the guidelines - which give overly broad authorities to agents - would not be abused by the bureau. Director Mueller said the guidelines would not be rewritten to include more safeguards but that protections would instead be written into overarching FBI policies.

ACLU Calls Immigrant Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008 Long Overdue (9/17/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today for the second time in two weeks, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up a bill requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop procedures to ensure adequate medical and mental health care for all detainees held by DHS Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE).The ACLU urges the House Judiciary Committee members to vote for H.R. 5950, the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008, introduced by Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).This bill is the first congressional action to provide basic medical care of immigration detainees after months of compelling TV and newspaper exposes detailing deficient medical care and over 60 immigration detention deaths.

FBI Director Faces Interrogation by Congress (9/16/2008)
WASHINGTON - With FBI Director Robert Mueller set to testify in front of both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees this week, the American Civil Liberties Union calls upon committee members to ask tough questions about the agency’s new internal guidelines and past abuses. The ACLU is deeply concerned with revisions to FBI internal guidelines governing investigations that allow agents to use an array of intrusive measures without evidence. The original guidelines were adopted in the mid-1970’s after investigations showed widespread abuses and violations of constitutional rights by the FBI.

ACLU Commends Senate Passage of ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (9/11/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union was pleased to see overwhelming bipartisan support in today’s Senate passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. The legislation seeks to undo nearly two decades of legal setbacks to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), restoring the landmark legislation to its original intent. Senate passage was through unanimous consent; the House passed a similar bill this past June.

Virtual Fence Should Not Become a Reality (9/10/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today, the House Homeland Security Committee holds a hearing examining what has prevented the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) virtual fence initiative from becoming a reality. The American Civil Liberties Union reaffirms its opposition to the failed and intrusive program that has been besieged with technological difficulties since its inception and calls on Congress to prevent further homeland security resources from being squandered on this effort.

ACLU Welcomes Child Soldiers Accountability Act (9/9/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union was pleased with the unanimous passage of the Child Soldiers Accountability Act yesterday by the House of Representatives. The legislation criminalizes the recruitment and use of child soldiers and gives the United States the authority to deny admission or to deport individuals for such activities.

Bloated and Ineffective Watch Lists Should be Scrapped (9/9/2008)
WASHINGTON - As the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection holds a hearing today on cleaning up the watch lists, the American Civil Liberties Union calls for congressional action to scrap the current approach to airline security in favor of systems that are far more effective, and, at the same time, protect innocent Americans from the immeasurable hassles and frustration of being swept up erroneously by the watch lists. Currently, the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) is charged with maintaining a series of lists that, in theory, contain names of suspected threats to American security. In July, the ACLU estimated that the watch lists grew to over 1 million records.

Mukasey Calls On Congress to Subvert Constitution (7/21/2008)
WASHINGTON - In an enormous executive branch power grab, Attorney General Michael Mukasey called on Congress today to authorize indefinite detention through a new declaration of armed conflict. Mukasey also proposed that Congress subvert the right of habeas corpus with a new scheme of procedures that will hide the Bush administration’s past wrongdoing - an action that would undermine the constitutional guarantee of due process and conceal systematic torture and abuse of detainees.

ACLU Seeks Answers on Torture from Former Attorney General Ashcroft (7/17/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union calls on former Attorney General John Ashcroft, in today’s House Judiciary hearing, to provide Congress and the American people with answers to questions about when, why and how the use of torture was authorized. Ashcroft presided over the Department of Justice (DOJ) during President Bush’s first term in office, when the legal rationale for using torture and abuse during interrogations of detainees held by the United States was first articulated in a series of legal memos. The notorious memos, known as the “torture memos,” were produced by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), a DOJ office that assists the attorney general in his function as legal advisor to the president and all executive branch agencies.

ACLU Warns Against Intrusive Deep Packet Inspection (7/17/2008)
WASHINGTON - Americans’ online privacy was discussed today at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. The hearing, titled “What Your Broadband Provider Knows About Your Web Use: Deep Packet Inspection and Communications Laws and Policies,” was meant to shed light on the practice of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Internet service providers (ISPs). DPI allows ISPs to track users’ Internet browsing activities and can be data mined for targeted marketing purposes. The ACLU urges members of the committee to be wary of the privacy landmines inherent in DPI.

ACLU Calls for Probe of Secretary Chertoff’s Use of Terrorist Watch List (7/17/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, when Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union calls on the committee to exercise vigorous oversight of the many DHS programs that endanger U.S. citizens’ privacy and civil liberties without increasing security. DHS’s unchecked detention and deportation powers have resulted in abusive interrogations of families with children at checkpoints, creation of militarized zones within the U.S. and widespread fear in immigrant communities facing natural disasters. Collectively, these practices illustrate how DHS has mismanaged its authority and wasted resources.

Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity To Phone Companies (7/9/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today, in a blatant assault upon civil liberties and the right to privacy, the Senate passed an unconstitutional domestic spying bill that violates the Fourth Amendment and eliminates any meaningful role for judicial oversight of government surveillance. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 was approved by a vote of 69 to 28 and is expected to be signed into law by President Bush shortly. This bill essentially legalizes the president’s unlawful warrantless wiretapping program revealed in December 2005 by the New York Times.

ACLU Calls on Congress to Investigate FBI’s Reported Racial and Ethnic Profiling Plan (7/8/2008)
WASHINGTON -In light of tomorrow’s Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice, the ACLU urges Congress to investigate the FBI’s reported racial and ethnic profiling plan. Although the guidelines do not require congressional approval, Congress has the authority to stop the Justice Department from finalizing guidelines that will open the door to racial and ethnic profiling of American citizens and legal residents during national security investigations. The Associated Press reported last week that among the factors that could make someone the subject of an investigation are travel to regions of the world known for terrorist activity; access to weapons or military training; and a person’s racial or ethnic background.

ACLU Urges Senators to Oppose Unconstitutional Surveillance Bill (7/8/2008)
WASHINGTON - With the Senate debate continuing and a vote expected on the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 this Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union once again urged senators to vote against the unconstitutional bill, which will allow the government to monitor calls and emails without a warrant and without meaningful court review.

ACLU Reacts to DHS OIG Report on ICE Detainee Deaths and Medical Care (7/1/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reacts to the release of the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s report, “ICE Policies Related to Detainee Deaths and the Oversight of Immigration Detention Facilities.” The report examines two of the 33 detainee deaths reported between January 1, 2005 and May 31, 2007 and DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) standards related to detainee deaths and the medical treatment of immigration detainees.

ACLU Urges Senate to Reject Unconstitutional Surveillance Bill (6/26/2008)
WASHINGTON- The ACLU urges Senators to reject legislation that eviscerates the oversight structure of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

ACLU Applauds First-Ever Congressional Hearing on Gender Identity in the Workplace (6/26/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Heath, Employment, Labor, and Pensions for holding the first-ever congressional hearing on transgender issues and gender identity discrimination in the workplace. Chaired by Representative Robert Andrews (D-NJ), the committee heard from retired Army Colonel and ACLU client Diane Schroer. The ACLU is currently representing Schroer in a Title VII sex discrimination lawsuit against the Library of Congress.

ACLU Commends House Judiciary Subcommittee for Continued Investigation into Whether High-Level Officials Authorized Torture (6/25/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union commends Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties for their continued efforts to uncover the full extent of this administration’s approval of torture in the interrogation of detainees. Tomorrow’s hearing is the last in a series of three held by the subcommittee on torture, and the first time both David Addington, chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, and John Yoo, formerly of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), are scheduled to testify before Congress on their roles in approving the use of torture. An important focus of the series of hearings has been whether high-level government officials violated federal criminal laws against torture and abuse.

ACLU Urges Congress to Ensure Privacy of Electronic Health Records (6/25/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today, lawmakers will be making decisions about the future of patients’ medical privacy as legislation aimed at pushing the health care industry toward a conversion from paper to electronic health records is due for a vote by a House panel.

ACLU Applauds Committee Passage of National Security Letter Reform (6/24/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties approved legislation that would greatly reduce the scope of the National Security Letter (NSL) statute. NSLs are secret government requests for information that are used to collect private records without judicial oversight. The FBI’s gross misuse and abuse of the NSL statute has led to consecutive and embarrassing reports issued by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General. In March, a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filedby the ACLU also uncovered abuses of the NSL statute by the Department of Defense.

ACLU Urges Congress to Do the Right Thing for Young Americans (6/24/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union urges both the Senate and House of Representatives to act in the best interest of young people and eliminate funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. It will be a critical week as two of the largest federal funding streams for such programs are slated for consideration. In the Senate, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies marked up the FY09 appropriations bill today, including an allocation for the Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program; the Senate Appropriations Committee will meet on Thursday, June 26th. In the House, the Appropriations Committee will also meet this Thursday to ratify the subcommittee recommendations, which last week included flat-funding for CBAE.

House Approves Unconstitutional Surveillance Legislation (6/20/2008)
WASHINGTON - Following a vote in the House of Representatives sanctioning warrantless wiretapping and handing immunity to telecommunications companies for their role in domestic spying, the American Civil Liberties Union expressed outrage at representatives who voted for the unconstitutional legislation. The bill, H.R. 6304, or The FISA Amendments Act of 2008, passed the chamber by a vote of 293-129, and is expected to be voted on in the Senate next week.

H.R. 6304, THE FISA AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2008 (6/19/08)
WASHINGTON - The ACLU recommends a no vote on H.R. 6304, which grants sweeping wiretapping authority to the government with little court oversight and ensures the dismissal of all pending cases against the telecommunication companies.

ACLU Applauds House Judiciary Subcommittee on Continuing Its Examination into Torture Approval (6/18/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union applauds Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on holding the second in a series of three hearings to determine who authorized or ordered torture and abuse during interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan and in secret government torture cells around the world. In today's hearing the subcommittee will hear from three former high-level officials in the Bush administration.

ACLU Urges Congress to Reform Department of Justice Grant Program (6/18/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union calls on Congress to reform a Department of Justice grant program as part of today's markup of HR 3546, reauthorizing the Edward Byrne MemorialJustice Assistance Grant. This program funds hundreds of regional anti-drug task forces that perpetuate racial disparities, police corruption, over-incarceration and civil rights abuses in large and small towns across America.

ACLU Applauds Senate Committee Investigation Into Personal Privacy Protections (6/17/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) applauds Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for holding a hearing to explore whether the federal government is doing enough to protect personal information.

ACLU to Testify Before House Judiciary Subcommittee on Electronic Employment Verification (6/10/08)
WASHINGTON - Timothy Sparapani, senior legislative counsel for the ACLU, will testify today before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law about the effects of implementing a mandatory electronic employment verification system in the United States. Sparapani will explain that imposing a mandatory system will endanger the privacy of American citizens, and thatits inevitable systemic errors will create a 'No-Work' list of eligible Americans who are wrongly prevented from working by the U.S. government. Six members of Congress will also testify before the subcommittee, marking the growing significance of this issue to both members of Congress and the American people.