American Civil Liberties Union : Report: Upsetting Checks and Balances - Congressional Hostility Toward the Courts In Times of Crisis

There has never been a more urgent need to preserve fundamental privacy protections and our system of checks and balances than the need we face today, as illegal government spying, provisions of the Patriot Act and government-sponsored torture programs transcend the bounds of law and our most treasured values in the name of national security.