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ACLU Skeptical of Senate Report on “Homegrown” Terrorism (05/08/2008)
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."

ACLU Commends Senator Feingold for Hearing on Secret Law (04/30/2008)
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.

ACLU Urges House to Remain Firm as FISA Stalemate Continues (04/24/2008)
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.

ACLU Urges Senate Committee to Pass Strong State Secrets Bill (04/24/2008)
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.

ACLU Applauds Senate Scrutiny of Overbroad NSL Authority (04/23/2008)
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.

National Security Research Group (02/19/2007)
The Harvard Law School National Security Research Group (NSRG) is a student-led initiative that will work in collaboration with the Harvard National Security and the Law Society to produce high-quality reports on pressing national security matters. NSRG is non-partisan and unaffiliated with any particular national security agenda or approach, and it will remain open to people of all backgrounds and viewpoints.

Highlights of the ACLU's Voter Poll (10/10/2006)
This survey of residents in Connecticut, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania showed that Americans want protection from terrorism, but not at the expense of civil liberties.

Doe v. Gonzales Letter Brief (04/12/2006)
Doe v. Gonzales Letter Brief

Sibel Edmonds, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. United States Department of Justice, et al., (01/12/2005)

Coalition Memo to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Regarding "Homegrown Terrorism" (05/07/2008)

Statement of Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, Submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee for a Hearing Entitled, “National Security Letters: The Need for Greater Accountability and Oversight” (04/23/2008)

ACLU Section by Section of S. 2088, The National Security Letter Reform Act of 2007 (04/22/2008)

ACLU Letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee Responding to Attorney General Mukasey's Stance on S. 2433, "State Secrets Protection Act" (04/03/2008)

ACLU Letter to the House Regarding Draft FISA Legislation, H.R. 3773 (03/12/2008)

9/11 Commission (12/06/2004)

Freedom of Expression (03/01/2002)
Freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition -- this set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of expression. The Supreme Court has written that this freedom is "the matrix, the indispensable condition of nearly every other form of freedom." Without it, other fundamental rights, like the right to vote, would wither and die.

Links to other National Security-related Sites (02/20/2002)
The following sites provide comprehensive or unique resources relating to the work of the ACLU in this issue area. While some of these sites are operated by organizations that work frequently in coalition with the ACLU, the sites may also include materials on positions we do not share. To report a broken or relocated link, or to suggest a site for inclusion on this page, use the feedback button at the bottom of this page.

Garcetti v. Ceballos (09/22/2005)
Reviewing whether a government whistleblower forfeits all First Amendment protection by speaking out in the course of his or her job. DECIDED