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ACLU Statement on RESTORE ACT (10/09/2007)
WASHINGTON -- Today the Democratic leadership unveiled the RESTORE Act. What follows are the ACLU’s comments on that draft.

ACLU Welcomes Representative Holt’s Stand on the Fourth Amendment, Says FISA Legislation Does Not Need to Ignore the Constitution (10/09/2007)
Washington, DC – Today the American Civil Liberties Union welcomed proposed legislation from Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) that would protect vital constitutional rights. The bill, “The FISA Modernization Bill of 2007,” counters the Democratic leadership’s “RESTORE Act,” also introduced today. Both bills are attempting to fix the disastrous “Protect America Act” that was rushed through Congress in August and rubberstamped the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. The ACLU believes that Rep. Holt’s bill is constitutional because, unlike the RESTORE Act, it does not include so-called basket warrants for American communications. Blanket warrants do not require individualized suspicion and are tantamount to no warrant at all.

ACLU Applauds Constitutional Stand of Progressive Caucus (10/05/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today lauded a move by the Congressional Progressive Caucus to bring a controversial spy law back in line with the Constitution. The caucus, made up of 72 members of Congress, released eight basic principles that it says must be included in any changes made to the Protect America Act (PAA). The PAA was rushed through Congress this summer and eviscerated the very law it was supposed to update - the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

ACLU Skeptical of Information Sharing at Fusion Centers, Upcoming Report on Fusion Centers to be Released by the ACLU (09/27/2007)
Washington, DC –The American Civil Liberties Union expressed concern about fusion centers today. Fusion centers are federal, state, local and regional units, designed to improve the sharing of anti-terrorism intelligence among different branches of state, local and federal governments. Wary of potential privacy risks, the ACLU will soon be releasing a report on the 42 fusion centers that have opened in the United States.

ACLU Welcomes Proposed NSL Fix in Senate (09/25/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today praised legislation that would fix the contentious National Security Letter (NSL) statute. The legislation, named the National Security Letter Reform Act of 2007, was introduced by Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John Sununu (R-NH). In the House, Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) have introduced their own NSL fix, H.R. 3189, also called the National Security Letters Reform Act of 2007.

ACLU Says Congress Should Demand Four Part Pledge Before Confirming Bush Attorney General Nominee (09/17/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union urges the Senate to extract a pledge from attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey, or any nominee, unless he or she pledges under oath to meet the four demands listed below.

ACLU Condemns Phone Companies’ Role in FBI Datamining, Reaffirms No Amnesty for Telecoms (09/09/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today condemned reports that telecommunications companies datamined their customers' records at the request of the FBI. The requests, first reported by the New York Times, asked phone companies to identify the “communities of interest” of customers being scrutinized by the FBI and were brought to light in documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The FBI has since ceased the demands.

ACLU Demands Answers from FBI Chief (07/26/2007)
Washington, DC -Today, the American Civil Liberties Union strongly urged the House Judiciary Committee to hold the FBI accountable for its abuse of National Security Letters (NSLs) and its role in warrantless wiretapping. After passage of the Patriot Act, the NSL power was broadly expanded and broadly abused, according to a report issued by the FBI’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). This will be the first congressional appearance of Director Robert Mueller since former Assistant Attorney General James Comey revealed Mueller’s unease with the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program during his testimony before the Senate in May.

ACLU Praises Bill to Fix Controversial NSL Powers, Says FBI cannot be trusted to police itself (07/26/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today praised the introduction of a bill by Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to fix the controversial National Security Letter (NSL) power, which was expanded by the Patriot Act and its reauthorization. The ACLU has challenged the NSL statute in two court cases and will be back in court on August 15 to continue the fight.

ACLU Calls for Independent Oversight of FBI (07/13/2007)
WASHINGTON - Today the American Civil Liberties Union expressed its skepticism following the Department of Justice’s announcement of two new internal oversight offices. The department is creating an Oversight Section for its National Security Division and a bureau-wide Office of Integrity and Compliance for the FBI. The Justice Department says the additions are aimed at enforcing adherence to agency guidelines and protecting civil liberties.

ACLU Commends Congressional Subpoenas for Spy Documents (06/21/2007)
WASHINGTON – Since the disclosure of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program in December of 2005, few facts about the origins of the program have come to light. Today the American Civil Liberties Union applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee for scheduling a vote to authorize subpoenas for documents on the legal underpinnings of the President’s wiretapping programs.

ACLU Hears Administration’s Plan for Spying Law, Says Congress Cannot Legislate Without Investigating (06/12/2007)
Washington, DC - In a meeting today with the office of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the American Civil Liberties Union rebuffed attempts to “modernize” the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The ACLU and other privacy groups and academics met with the DNI at the invitation of the DNI to discuss the broad changes that the Bush Administration and Department of Justice are seeking to make to FISA.

ACLU Asks Congress to Use Subpoena Powers for Spy Documents: Calls for an End to Warrantless Wiretapping (06/07/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union testified today before a Congressional panel about the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program. The hearing – the first held on the NSA program in the 110th Congress – was held by the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. Since the disclosure of the NSA’s program in December of 2005, the ACLU has been actively seeking answers both in the courts and Congress.

The ACLU’s Views On Atlanta Man’s Quarantine Case (05/30/2007)
Statement of Barry Steinhardt Director, ACLU Technology and Liberty Project

ACLU Welcomes Guantanamo Closure Bill (05/23/2007)
WASHINGTON - The ACLU today welcomed Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) introduction of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility Closure Act of 2007, a bill that would close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The bill cuts off funds for everything except sending charged or sentenced detainees to Fort Leavenworth and transferring the remaining detainees to their home countries or other countries that will not torture or abuse them. The bill would effectively end the practice of indefinite detention without charge or due process for detainees who have been held for as long as five years without charge and without knowing the reason for their detention. It will also provide an incentive for the government to finally charge those detainees the government believes are guilty of crimes against the United States.

ACLU Demands Disclosure of Legal Documents on NSA Wiretapping, Cautions Senate Committee Against Telecom Inoculation for Domestic Spying (05/16/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged that Congress subpoena all of the Justice Department documents relating to the NSA warrantless wiretapping program and the new FISA court-approved program in light of the testimony yesterday that Deputy Attorney General James Comey made at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

ACLU Victory in House Intelligence Authorization, House Affirms No Domestic Eavesdropping Without Warrant (05/11/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC -The American Civil Liberties Union today cheered an amendment to the House Intelligence Reauthorization Bill that would prevent illegal domestic wiretapping by the government. The amendment, by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), will reaffirm the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as the only legal means of collecting electronic intelligence surveillance. The amendment was passed late last night by a vote of 245-178.

ACLU Warns Congress Against Broadening FISA Power (05/01/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union called today’s FISA hearing held by the Senate Select Intelligence Committee a setback to the rule of law. The committee met to discuss and hear testimony from administration officials about proposed “modernization” to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act submitted by Department of Justice and intelligence community officials.

TALON’s End Doesn’t Stop Pentagon From Spying on Americans (04/25/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC - The ACLU applauds Pentagon intelligence chief James Clapper’s decision yesterday to halt the Defense Department’s TALON spying program, but believes that Congress must exercise oversight and hold hearings to determine the extent of this and similar programs.

Librarian Who Challenged NSLs Urges Congress to Fix Patriot Act (04/11/2007)
WASHINGTON - George Christian, Executive Director of Library Connection and a client in the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Letter challenge case, today urged the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution to fix the Patriot Act provision.