Home : Safe and Free : General

ACLU Skeptical of Senate Report on “Homegrown” Terrorism
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 Lauds House Judiciary Committee on Torture Investigation
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union lauds the House Judiciary Committee and especially its chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and subcommittee chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) for compelling former members of the Bush administration to appear before the committee as part of an investigation of the authorization of illegal torture of prisoners in US custody by the highest public officials in the executive branch.

ACLU Applauds House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Administration Authorization of Torture
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union was pleased to see the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hold today’s hearing to examine the executive branch’s role in authorizing harsh interrogation methods. The ACLU calls on Congress to conduct a systematic, top-to-bottom investigation to explore whether crimes have been committed and how high up the authorization originated.

ACLU Commends Senator Feingold for Hearing on Secret Law
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
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.

Disavowed: The Government's Unchecked Retaliation Against National Security Whistleblowers

Human Rights Abuses Under the Material Witness Law Since Sept. 11, 2001

Racial Profiling Since 9/11 report
Sanctioned Bias: Racial Profiling Since 9/11

United States v. Taleb-Jedi - ACLU Amicus Brief

United States v. Taleb-Jedi - Amended Memo of Law in Support of Zeinab Taleb-Jedi's Pre-Trial Motions

Complaint - Habib v. Chertoff and Rice
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in American Sociological Association, American Association of University, Professors, American-Arab Antidiscrimination Committee, Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, and Adam Habib v. Michael Chertoff, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Condoleezza Rice, in her official capacity as Secretary of State.

Comments Regarding the Proposed Automated Targeting System, DHS Docket 2007-0043

AAR v. Chertoff - Government’s Reply

Coalition Memo to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Regarding "Homegrown Terrorism"

Testimony of Caroline Fredrickson, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia

Joint letter to Department of Homeland Security on Inspector General report on the removal of Maher Arar to Syria
We write to urge you to release, immediately and in its entirety, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report OIG-08-18 entitled “The Removal of a Canadian Citizen to Syria.” The one page unclassified summary of the report released last month is uninformative and clearly an inadequate representation of the investigation results. Moreover, it fails to address any of the concerns we expressed previously to the Department regarding the legality of the procedures by which the U.S. government removed Maher Arar to Syria and general U.S. government practices for handling similar cases.

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”

ACLU Section by Section of S. 2088, The National Security Letter Reform Act of 2007

ACLU Statement to the House Judiciary Committee on the Use of the State Secrets Privilege

Polling From the Mellman Group: Voters Vigorously Oppose Warrantless Wiretaps and Immunity for Telecom Companies

New Poll: Majority of American Voters Want Next President to Restore and Protect Civil Liberties; Seek a More Assertive Congress
The majority of U.S. voters want the next president to protect civil liberties and the Constitution, according to a recent survey of 738 registered voters conducted for the ACLU.

Proposed Legislation Regarding MCA Chart

Background on Habeas Corpus
In the final hours before adjourning in 2006, Congress passed and the president signed the Military Commissions Act (MCA). In doing so they cast aside the Constitution and the principle of habeas corpus, which protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment.

Quotes From Political Leaders on the Battle Over Domestic Surveillance and Immunity for Telecommunications Companies

ACLU Real ID Scorecard
Real ID regulations earn a failing grade. Find out why.

Fuzzy Math and the Real Cost of Real ID
A persistent criticism of the Real ID Act since its enactment in 2005 has been the charge that the law is a massive unfunded mandate. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially estimated that nationwide implementation would cost over $23 billion, roughly in line with estimates from independent groups like the National Governors Association and National Conference of State Legislators.

Fact Sheet: Final Real ID Regulations
Compliance Deadlines. States need to do almost nothing to comply with Real ID before 2014 (or 2017 for those over the age of 50)DHS will grant an extension until Dec 31, 2009 to any state which requests one.Citizens of states who become “materially compliant” will be able to use their license for all federal purposes until 2014 (or 2017 for those over the age of 50). Material compliance under the regulations is essentially what states are already doing in the issuance of licenses (and only a fraction of what the Real ID statute requires).

What We Need From the Next Attorney General
Any nominee for attorney general should take an oath to fulfill a four part pledge.