http://www.aclu.org/natsec/feed.xml Visit ACLU.org to learn more and get involved. en-us 10 2008-07-04T04:25:51-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/natsec/foia/35878prs20080702.html?s_src=RSS NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today released thousands of pages of documents related to Navy investigations of civilians killed by Coalition Forces in Iraq, including the cousin of the Iraqi ambassador to the United States. Released today in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the ACLU filed in June 2006, these records provide a vivid snapshot of the circumstances surrounding civilian deaths in Iraq. http://www.aclu.org/natsec/foia/35878prs20080702.html 2008-07-02T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35740prs20080620.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – 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. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35740prs20080620.html 2008-06-20T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35726prs20080619.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – With news that a surveillance bill may be voted on in the House of Representatives as early as tomorrow, the American Civil Liberties Union sternly warned members against voting for the legislation. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has worked closely with the White House and has led the effort to gut the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and give the telephone companies what amounts to a pardon for breaking the law. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35726prs20080619.html 2008-06-19T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35537prs20080605.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – As news continues to trickle down from Capitol Hill regarding a deal on surveillance legislation, the American Civil Liberties Union once again voiced its fervent opposition to any attempt to undercut the Fourth Amendment or allow the telecommunications companies to gain blanket immunity for illegal spying. Before the Memorial Day recess the ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) floated what he claims is a compromise on surveillance legislation that will allow for sham court proceedings, virtually guaranteeing immunity to telecommunications companies. The ACLU strongly opposes this unconstitutional proposal. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35537prs20080605.html 2008-06-05T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35450prs20080523.html?s_src=RSS WASHINGTON, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union praises last night's House of Representatives floor vote that adopted, by a margin of 218-192 (including 15 Republicans) the Holt/Tauscher/Grijalva/Schakowsky Amendment to the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment requires the recording and retention of videos of strategic interrogations of persons under the custody or control of the Defense Department. The amendment would bring these interrogations into line with recommended best practices for military and law enforcement interrogations - increasing accountability for compliance with the McCain Anti-Torture Amendment and other anti-torture laws. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35450prs20080523.html 2008-05-23T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35447prs20080523.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – Responding to a proposal from Senate Intelligence Ranking Member, Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO), the American Civil Liberties Union today criticized yet another attempt to gut the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and grant immunity to telecommunications companies. The proposal, which has the backing of the Bush administration, would allow for cases against the telecommunications companies to be held in a secret court and redundantly would restate the provision already in FISA making it the exclusive means to wiretap within the United States – after weakening FISA to allow the president’s warrantless wiretapping program to proceed virtually unfettered. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35447prs20080523.html 2008-05-23T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/natsec/travel/35675prs20080516.html?s_src=RSS BOSTON, MIAMI and MONTPELIER, VT -- Decrying the Bush Administration's attack on families, American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Massachusetts, Florida, and Vermont, along with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), today filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief in Vilaseca v. Paulson, a federal lawsuit in Vermont against the Treasury Department, challenging severe restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on travel to visit close family members in Cuba. http://www.aclu.org/natsec/travel/35675prs20080516.html 2008-05-16T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35221prs20080508.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – After Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a report on Islamic homegrown terrorism today, the American Civil Liberties Union strongly urged Congress to use caution when moving forward on related legislation, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (S. 1959). The report, "Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorism Threat," is based on findings from hearings held by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The ACLU and nearly twenty other groups sent a memo to the committee outlining concerns with the report, most notably the free speech implications of labeling the internet as a "weapon" and the unfair singling out of one religious group as possible "extremists." http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35221prs20080508.html 2008-05-08T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35106prs20080430.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded a Senate subcommittee for holding a hearing on the Bush administration’s use of secrecy to institute government policy. During the hearing, entitled “Secret Law and the Threat to Democratic and Accountable Government,” the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and its chairman, Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI), heard testimony from legal experts and open government advocates. The hearing focused on the administration’s broad interpretation of the law as it relates to government secrecy and counterterrorism policies – including a legal opinion written by former Justice Department Official John Yoo on the use of torture in interrogations. That memo was made public through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by the ACLU. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35106prs20080430.html 2008-04-30T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35012prs20080424.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – In response to reports that Republicans in the House of Representatives have filed a discharge petition in order to force a vote on a Senate-passed update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the American Civil Liberties Union released the following statement. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35012prs20080424.html 2008-04-24T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35007prs20080424.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – As the Senate Judiciary Committee meets today to mark up key legislation, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the body to pass a bill that would allow Americans to hold their government accountable. The bill, introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), would limit the scope of the state secrets privilege. The Bush administration, which has threatened to veto Senator Kennedy’s bill, has used the privilege to halt several important lawsuits against the government, including an ACLU case involving the extraordinary rendition of an innocent German citizen, Khaled El-Masri. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35007prs20080424.html 2008-04-24T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34981prs20080423.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – As an overbroad and often-abused power is examined today by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union urged members of the committee to thoroughly question its witnesses before marking up legislation aimed at fixing the problem. The "National Security Letter Reform Act" introduced by committee member Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI), would narrow the scope of National Security Letters (NSLs) and curb abuse by federal law enforcement. NSLs are used to obtain access to personal customer records from Internet Service Providers, financial institutions and credit reporting agencies. Recipients of the NSLs are generally forbidden, or "gagged," from disclosing that they have received the letters. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34981prs20080423.html 2008-04-23T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34982prs20080423.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – As FBI Director Robert Mueller appeared before Congress today, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the House Judiciary Committee to ask him the “hard questions.” http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34982prs20080423.html 2008-04-23T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34927prs20080417.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – As a Senate subcommittee met today to get a “progress report” on fusion centers, the American Civil Liberties Union once again voiced its concerns with the intelligence-gathering institutions. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration heard testimony from government and intelligence officials on a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding the centers. Though several recent reports have confirmed fusion centers’ growing role in law enforcement and revealed their expanding ties to private industry, including relationships with massive data-brokering companies, no third parties were set to testify. The ACLU released a report last year outlining serious concerns with fusion centers. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34927prs20080417.html 2008-04-17T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/natsec/gen/34832prs20080409.html?s_src=RSS WASHINGTON – Today, the Government Management, Organization, and Procurement Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on federal security that should shine a spotlight on bad security systems. It will address ID cards and other ineffective government programs. http://www.aclu.org/natsec/gen/34832prs20080409.html 2008-04-09T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34816prs20080408.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday called on Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine to begin an internal investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) use of National Security Letters (NSLs), and whether they were used to funnel Americans’ private information to the Department of Defense (DOD). The NSL statute is a tool used by law enforcement to compel the release of information, such as communications or business records, without a court order. The revelation that the military is getting the FBI to issue NSLs in strictly DOD investigations was disclosed in documents obtained by the ACLU through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The ACLU sent a letter to Fine yesterday asking him to investigate whether the FBI has aided the DOD in circumventing the law. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34816prs20080408.html 2008-04-08T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34728prs20080401.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today commented on reports that President Bush said he is willing to negotiate on the domestic surveillance program. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34728prs20080401.html 2008-04-01T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34483prs20080314.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The bruising battle over domestic surveillance that has been red hot since August took a dramatic turn today as the U.S. House of Representatives refused to bow to the president’s scare tactics. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) commends the Members of the House for standing up to the president and for allowing Americans to have their day in court against telecommunications companies that released private information to the government without a warrant. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34483prs20080314.html 2008-03-14T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/natsec/gen/34465prs20080313.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – Legislation introduced today may give a much-needed reprieve to those who have sued the government and encountered the state secrets privilege. The legislation, introduced by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), would establish appropriate limits on the use of the state secrets privilege. The Bush administration has misused the privilege to halt several important lawsuits against the government, including an ACLU case involving the extraordinary rendition of an innocent German citizen, Khaled El-Masri. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). http://www.aclu.org/natsec/gen/34465prs20080313.html 2008-03-13T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34464prs20080313.html?s_src=RSS WASHINGTON – A report released today by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on the FBI’s use of National Security Letters (NSLs) reveals a systemic, widespread abuse of power. The FBI’s authority to issue NSLs was widely expanded by the USA Patriot Act and it has been increasingly used to collect private information on American citizens without court approval. Today’s audit follows a report released last year that found serious breaches of department regulations and multiple potential violations of the law. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34464prs20080313.html 2008-03-13T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/privacy/gen/34441prs20080312.html?s_src=RSS WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union responded today to a stunning new report that the NSA has effectively revived the Orwellian "Total Information Awareness" domestic-spying program that was banned by Congress in 2003. In response, the ACLU said that it was filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for more information about the spying. And, the group announced that it was moving its "Surveillance Clock" one minute closer to midnight. http://www.aclu.org/privacy/gen/34441prs20080312.html 2008-03-12T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34440prs20080311.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC -- Statement from Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office on the proposed House FISA compromise legislation: http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34440prs20080311.html 2008-03-11T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34351prs20080305.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – In testimony today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, FBI Director Robert Mueller confirmed the misuse of National Security Letters (NSLs) – which allow for the collection of personal information without court approval – to secure Americans’ personal information during FBI investigations. A report from the Office of the Inspector General on the FBI’s use of NSLs is expected soon, though it was due in December of last year. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34351prs20080305.html 2008-03-05T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34341prs20080305.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – As the Senate Judiciary Committee was set to question FBI Director Robert Mueller III today, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the committee to ask Director Mueller the tough questions about the bureau’s civil liberties record. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34341prs20080305.html 2008-03-05T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34337prs20080304.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – With a House vote on domestic spy legislation rumored to occur within days, there are reports of a plan to split the two titles of the terrible bill passed by the Senate that gutted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The Senate bill contains almost no Fourth Amendment protections in its Title I, and its Title II contains immunity for telecommunications companies that illegally aided the president’s warrantlesss wiretapping program. The American Civil Liberties Union urges Congress to not rubberstamp the president’s plan to circumvent the Constitution. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34337prs20080304.html 2008-03-04T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34258prs20080229.html?s_src=RSS As the House of Representatives takes the time it needs to negotiate a bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the White House has launched a public assault on the legislative body. The administration claims that the House has endangered the country by letting the Protect America Act (PAA) expire and should pass the bill already approved by the Senate. The Senate bill, however, is unconstitutional and contains immunity for the telecommunications companies that aided the president’s warrantless wiretapping program. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is urging the House to continue to stand strong for the Constitution. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34258prs20080229.html 2008-02-29T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34241prs20080228.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – President Bush spoke once again today on the House’s refusal to pass a Senate-approved bill updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). He also, once again, pleaded for retroactive and prospective immunity for the telecommunications companies who aided in his warrantless wiretapping program, claiming that the suits brought against them were a “financial gravy train” for attorneys. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34241prs20080228.html 2008-02-28T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34119prs20080214.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – Today’s oversight hearing of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties is expected to examine the issues of torture and waterboarding, as well as the warrantless wiretapping being conducted by the U.S. government. The acting head of the OLC, Steven Bradbury, will testify before the subcommittee. Mr. Bradbury is thought to be the author of controversial legal opinions from the OLC that have approved the use of harsh interrogation methods and spying on Americans through warrantless wiretaps. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34119prs20080214.html 2008-02-14T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34099prs20080213.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC –The ACLU exhorts members of the House to let the unconstitutional Protect America Act expire and stand strong on not letting the phone companies off the hook for law breaking. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34099prs20080213.html 2008-02-13T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34087prs20080213.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – Today the Senate Judiciary Committee convened to hear testimony on an evidentiary rule known as the state secret privilege. Committee member Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced legislation last month to narrow the scope of the privilege. During the Bush administration, the state secrets privilege has been increasingly and improperly used as a shield to prevent investigation into executive branch misconduct. The most notable invocation of the privilege was to stall the case of an innocent German citizen, Khaled El-Masri, who was kidnapped, detained and tortured in a secret overseas prison. His suit against the government was stalled after the administration invoked the privilege. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34087prs20080213.html 2008-02-13T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34086prs20080212.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today slammed the U.S. Senate for not only authorizing the president’s warrantless wiretapping program but for granting immunity to his accomplices, the telecommunications companies. By a vote of 68 to 29, the Senate passed legislation amending and, in the end, gutting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The bill now must be conferenced with the House’s version of the bill – which contains no immunity and stricter Fourth Amendment protections – by February 16th, the recently extended expiration date of the equally disastrous Protect America Act. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34086prs20080212.html 2008-02-12T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34077prs20080212.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC –The U.S. Senate is likely to decide to grant immunity to telecommunications providers that broke the law over the past six years in a vote on an amendment to strip immunity from the Senate Intelligence Committee’s bill to gut the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on the immunity amendment Tuesday morning and if the amendment fails, as expected, the bill will be a multi-billion dollar giveaway to giant telecommunications companies. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/34077prs20080212.html 2008-02-12T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33885prs20080201.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – On the eve of Groundhog Day, the American Civil Liberties Union warned the Senate not to doom itself to repeat history with its upcoming debate on warrantless wiretapping. Both the House and Senate passed a 15-day extension to the Protect America Act in response to President Bush’s claims that the "flow of vital intelligence" would be disrupted if Congress could not meet the February 1 deadline. Last night, the Senate reached an agreement on the rules of the debate which will take place Monday and Tuesday. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33885prs20080201.html 2008-02-01T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33787prs20080124.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The Senate took its first step towards legitimizing the president’s warrantless wiretapping program today by voting against a substitute amendment to the FISA Amendments Act of 2007. By a vote of 60 to 34, senators rejected replacing the base bill with an alternate version authored by the Senate Judiciary Committee. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33787prs20080124.html 2008-01-24T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33768prs20080122.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The Bush Administration may soon have one less tool in its chest to stymie legitimate cases that might expose government misconduct. Today, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), introduced legislation aimed at narrowing the scope of the state secrets privilege – a huge step towards opening the courthouse doors to people who have suffered real and legitimate harm by the government. Several important suits, including one involving the extraordinary rendition of a German citizen, Khaled El-Masri, have been successfully blocked by this administration’s use of the state secrets privilege. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33768prs20080122.html 2008-01-22T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33624prs20080110.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union responded to a summary report released yesterday by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The report, which details the FBI’s use of confidential case funds, showed that FBI wiretaps – at least one under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - have been disconnected due to the nonpayment of bills. The ACLU is asking for the full, 87-page report to be released. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33624prs20080110.html 2008-01-10T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33236prs20071217.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – As the debate over domestic spying begins in the US Senate today, the American Civil Liberties Union urges senators to reject the Bush administration’s spying free-for-all and not provide immunity to telecommunications companies that broke the law over the past six years. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33236prs20071217.html 2007-12-17T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33229prs20071216.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – This week the Senate will consider making vast changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and will determine whether telecommunications companies should be held liable for their role in President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program. The New York Times ran a story today that elaborated on the administration and National Security Agency’s domestic spying partnerships with certain phone companies. The following is a statement from Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33229prs20071216.html 2007-12-16T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33204prs20071213.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – Director of National Intelligence, Michael McConnell, and Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, were scheduled to hold a closed congressional briefing today with legislation aimed at amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The Senate is expected to vote in the coming days on FISA legislation largely shaped by the White House and passed by the Senate Intelligence Committee. The bill includes a provision that would give immunity to telecommunications companies who aided in the administration’s domestic spying. Also today, a bill introduced by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) that would substitute the government as the plaintiff in cases currently pending against the telecoms was voted down in a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33204prs20071213.html 2007-12-13T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33193prs20071213.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject a bill offered by ranking member Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). Senator Specter’s bill, the FISA Intelligence Surveillance Substitution Act of 2007, would remove the telecommunications companies and insert the federal government as the defendant in cases currently pending over domestic spying. The bill is scheduled to be marked up by the full Senate Judiciary Committee today. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33193prs20071213.html 2007-12-13T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33188prs20071212.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC -- The American Civil Liberties Union is calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to allow the Senate to vote for the Judiciary Committee’s FISA bill without letting the Bells off the hook. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33188prs20071212.html 2007-12-12T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/privacy/gen/33170prs20071212.html?s_src=RSS WASHINGTON – New institutions now emerging in American life – “fusion centers” – are raising many questions about privacy and government openness and must be carefully bounded and monitored to ensure that they remain a legitimate and effective law enforcement tool, according to a new report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union. http://www.aclu.org/privacy/gen/33170prs20071212.html 2007-12-12T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33055prs20071207.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – Today, following revelations by Senate Intelligence Committee member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on secret legal opinions regarding the administration's domestic spying program, the American Civil Liberties Union called on Congress to reject excessive surveillance powers for the administration. The opinions, from the Office of Legal Counsel, were written by the request of the administration as it was searching for new law enforcement and intelligence techniques. The Senate is currently weighing its options with legislation aimed at amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - the very law President Bush circumvented with his warrantless wiretapping program. In August, the ACLU filed a motion requesting that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) make public the very rulings that Senator Whitehouse spoke of. In an unprecedented order, the FISC required the U.S. government to respond to the request and a decision from the court is pending. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/33055prs20071207.html 2007-12-07T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32984prs20071205.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to thoroughly scrutinize a new bill offered by ranking member Senator Specter (R-PA). Senator Specter’s bill, the FISA Intelligence Surveillance Substitution Act of 2007, would remove the telecommunications companies and insert the federal government as the defendant in cases currently pending over domestic spying. The bill will be marked up by the full Judiciary Committee this Thursday. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32984prs20071205.html 2007-12-05T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32961prs20071204.html?s_src=RSS Statement from Caroline Fredrickson http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32961prs20071204.html 2007-12-04T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32818prs20071115.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union is delighted that the Senate Judiciary Committee chose not to address telecom immunity in its version of a bill updating Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Although the rest of the bill does not pass constitutional muster, the ACLU applauds the Committee for not letting the bells off the hook. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32818prs20071115.html 2007-11-15T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32772prs20071114.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – Brandon Mayfield, an Oregon attorney falsely linked to terrorism, sent a statement to Congress this month urging the body against legislation that would overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Mayfield was subject to unconstitutional surveillance under the Patriot Act and subsequently arrested and held without charge. Mayfield wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee members Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Russell Feingold (D-WI) asking that they consider the effect that the FISA Amendments Act of 2007 would have on innocent Americans. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32772prs20071114.html 2007-11-14T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32643prs20071109.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – After proposals to alter portions of a surveillance bill were released by the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, the American Civil Liberties Union once again urged meaningful constitutional protections be added to the legislation. The FISA Amendments Act seeks to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and was written in response to the so-called Protect America Act that was rushed through Congress in August. The bill as drafted by the Senate Intelligence Committee includes immunity for the telecommunications companies for their role in the administration’s domestic spying program. The Judiciary Committee is expecting to take up that provision next week. http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32643prs20071109.html 2007-11-09T12:00:00-05:00 http://www.aclu.org/natsec/gen/32633prs20071108.html?s_src=RSS Washington, DC – The House Homeland Security Committee grilled government officials today about the government’s terrorist watch list, asking the same question the American Civil Liberties Union has been posing for years: Why is the list so enormous? The list has ballooned to 860,000 people and continues to grow. http://www.aclu.org/natsec/gen/32633prs20071108.html 2007-11-08T12:00:00-05:00 CrownPeak CMS