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ACLU Demands Details on Texas Department of Public Safety's Misuse of Federal Resources to Find Missing State Democrats (05/16/2003)
WASHINGTON - Calling it a clear example of how susceptible expansive government spying authority is to abuse, the American Civil Liberties Union today expressed deep concern over reports that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) was able to enlist federal surveillance resources in the search for the Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state to foil Republican redistricting plans.

On Eve of War, New Right-Left Letter Opposes Justice Department Plans for Legislation That Would Diminish Liberty, Fail to Bolster Security (03/17/2003)
WASHINGTON - As war with Iraq looms - and fears of possible new terrorist attacks grow -- a right-left letter to Congress said today that follow-up legislation to the USA PATRIOT Act would do little to bolster security in the United States while inevitably infringing on fundamental American freedoms.

Court Resoundingly Rejects Government's Attempt to Block "Dirty Bomb" Suspect From Meeting with His Lawyers (03/11/2003)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed a ruling by a federal district court directing the government to allow Jose Padilla, a United States citizen accused in a "dirty bomb" plot, to meet with his lawyers.

ACLU Says New Ashcroft Bill Erodes Checks and Balances on Presidential Power; PATRIOT II Legislation Would Needlessly Infringe on Basic Constitutional Liberties (02/12/2003)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today said that new Department of Justice "anti-terrorism" legislation goes further than the USA PATRIOT Act in eroding checks and balances on Presidential power and contains a number of measures that are of questionable effectiveness, but are sure to infringe on civil liberties.

ACLU Says Independent Total Information Awareness Advisory Group Compliments, But Must Not Replace, Congressional Scrutiny (02/07/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today said that a newly announced independent advisory group, which the Pentagon said will oversee development of the Total Information Awareness system, is a good compliment to Congressional scrutiny, but it should not serve as a substitute for action on Capitol Hill.

ACLU Says New Ashcroft Anti-Terror Proposal Undermines Checks and Balances (02/07/2003)
WASHINGTON - Earlier today, the Center for Public Integrity released what it said was draft legislation from the Department of Justice that would further expand the powers granted to the government in the name of fighting terrorism. The ACLU continues to analyze the draft legislation but from our preliminary read of the bill, it would do serious harm to civil liberties.

ACLU Highlights Real-Life Threat of Pentagon Super-Snoop Program to Average Americans (02/05/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today warned against the likely ineffectiveness of and danger to average Americans posed by the vast cyber-surveillance system known as Total Information Awareness.

ACLU Says New Intelligence Umbrella Agency Poses Serious Questions (01/29/2003)
WASHINGTON - In response to President Bush's announcement last night that he will integrate federal intelligence units under one umbrella agency headed by the Central Intelligence Agency, the American Civil Liberties Union today expressed concern that the initiative would put the CIA back in the business of spying on Americans.

ACLU Urges Congress to Fully Investigate Ill-Conceived Immigration Registration and Detention Program (01/10/2003)
WASHINGTON - Responding to today's second deadline in a controversial immigrant tracking program that has resulted in hundreds of unwarranted detentions, the American Civil Liberties Union today called for a full Congressional investigation into the program and urged all affected non-citizens to seek legal counsel.

ACLU Applauds Voluntary Smallpox Vaccine Plan ; Says President Needs to Protect Those Who Refuse from Retaliation At Work (12/13/2002)
WASHINGTON - Saying that making smallpox vaccine available on a meaningfully voluntary basis is the best practice for both national safety and civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the White House's inoculation plan and called on the President to prevent retaliation against those who refuse the vaccine.

ACLU Calls Victory for Right to Counsel in Enemy Combatant Case Positive Step (12/04/2002)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today called a federal court ruling upholding the right to counsel for so-called ""enemy combatants"" a clear rebuke of the Bush Administration and a victory for civil liberties.

ACLU Files Brief on Behalf of American-Born Taliban Indefinitely Incarcerated without Counsel or Access to Courts (10/25/2002)
RICHMOND, VA -- The national American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Virginia today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of Yaser Hamdi, an American citizen who was captured in Afghanistan last November and who has been held incommunicado in a military brig in Norfolk for the last six months. Labeled an "enemy combatant" by the Department of Justice, he is being indefinitely jailed in isolation and without any access to counsel.

ACLU Urges Continued Oversight, Additional Disclosures (10/17/2002)
WASHINGTON - In response to today's release of the Department of Justice's answers to questions submitted by House Judiciary Chairman James Sensennbrenner (R-WI) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) about the implementation of the USA Patriot Act, the American Civil Liberties Union gave the following statement:

ACLU Mobilizes Members and Supporters Nationwide To Keep America "Safe and Free" (10/16/2002)
WASHINGTON-The American Civil Liberties Union today announced a $3.5 million national campaign that includes for the first time paid television advertising and a massive mobilization of its members and supporters in a new nationwide effort to safeguard the freedoms that Attorney General Ashcroft and the Bush Administration have targeted since last year's terrorist attacks.

Statement of Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union , on Launch of ACLU Safe and Free Campaign (10/16/2002)
WASHINGTON-- Thank you all for being here today. My name is Anthony Romero, and I am the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union. I am here today to announce the launch of ""Keep America Safe and Free, The ACLU Campaign to Defend the Constitution."" This $3.5 million campaign is a key part of our broader program to protect civil liberties, especially now in a time of national emergency.

Statement of Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office, on Launch of ACLU Safe and Free Campaign (10/16/2002)
WASHINGTON-- In the months since the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11 and the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, my ACLU colleagues and I have spent a great deal of time on the road, talking to concerned Americans about the government's response to the terrorist attacks. From those gatherings - which have been larger and better attended than our meetings of any recent times - we know that there is an increasing groundswell of concern in America about President Bush's and Attorney General Ashcroft's determination to cut back on our freedom in the name of safety.

Advertisements Urge Senate to Guarantee Homeland Security Legislation Not Become a "Bill of Wrongs" (09/30/2002)
WASHINGTON - In full-page ads in influential inside-the-Beltway publications, the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocates today urged the Senate to keep the controversial legislation that would establish the Homeland Security Department from becoming a "bill of wrongs" that threatens the Constitution and the basic rights guaranteed to everyone in America.

ACLU Says Padilla's Detention Without Charges Violates His Rights (09/26/2002)
NEW YORK- In legal papers filed in federal court today, the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the government's decision to detain U.S. citizen Jose Padilla in a military jail without charges or trial and without access to a lawyer.

ACLU Says Homeland Security Bill Step Backward; Demands Senate Include Civil Liberties Protections (09/24/2002)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly criticized a new version, unveiled this morning, of the legislation establishing the cabinet-level Homeland Security Department, saying that it is a "constitutionally bankrupt" measure that lacks privacy or civil rights protections.

On Eve of One-Year Anniversary, ACLU Says Terrorist Attacks Have Changed American Law, Society (09/09/2002)
NEW YORK- One year after the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, much has fundamentally changed in America. Some of these changes, like a renewed sense of national purpose, are heartening. Yet much else is deeply disturbing to those who cherish freedom and the American way of life. And perhaps the most disturbing change is the government's apparent belief that our society cannot be both safe and free.