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ACLU Examines Chertoff's Troubling Civil Liberties Record; Nominee Had Key Role In Controversial Post- 9/11 Policies (01/31/2005)
WASHINGTON - In anticipation of this week's confirmation hearings, the American Civil Liberties Union today released a review of the troubling civil liberties record of Michael Chertoff, who has been nominated to head the Department of Homeland Security.

Lisa Graves, a Leahy Senior Adviser, Joins ACLU Washington Office; New Lobbyist Joins an Increasingly Bipartisan Effort to Protect Freedom (01/13/2005)
WASHINGTON - Lisa Graves, Chief Nominations Counsel to Senator Patrick Leahy-- the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee-- is joining the Washington Legislative Office of the American Civil Liberties Union to help lead the organization's bipartisan work on the Patriot Act and broader government actions since 9/11 that threaten civil liberties.

President Bush Misleads American Public on Patriot Act in Presidential Debate (10/08/2004)
In response to President Bush's call for support of the USA Patriot Act during tonight's debate, the American Civil Liberties Union said the Patriot Act was enacted in haste without adequate debate and that Congress should revisit it, not make it permanent.

In ACLU Case, Federal Court Strikes Down Patriot Act Surveillance Power As Unconstitutional (09/29/2004)
NEW YORK - Saying that ""democracy abhors undue secrecy,"" a federal court today struck down an entire Patriot Act provision that gives the government unchecked authority to issue "National Security Letters" to obtain sensitive customer records from Internet Service Providers and other businesses without judicial oversight. The court also found a broad gag provision in the law to be an ""unconstitutional prior restraint"" on free speech.

Lincoln City, Nebraska Becomes 350th Community to Pass Resolution Calling for Patriot Act Reforms (09/14/2004)
LINCOLN, NE - After five hours of testimony and debate last night, the city council here passed a resolution calling for reform of the Patriot Act, the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska announced today. The ACLU credited the work of dozens of people who committed time and energy to the single goal of getting the ""Defense of Liberty"" resolution passed, as well as the testimony of former Republican Congressman Bob Barr.

ACLU Brings Premiere of Groundbreaking Robert Greenwald Documentary to Local Communities (09/07/2004)
NEW YORK-The American Civil Liberties Union and its affiliates will host screenings of acclaimed filmmaker Robert Greenwald's latest groundbreaking documentary ""Unconstitutional"" in more than 25 states, including a world premiere on September 13 at the University of Texas at Austin and a September 14 screening at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater in New York.

ACLU Obtains Rules of Secret Wiretap Court But Says Much of Government's Spy Power Remains Shrouded in Unnecessary Secrecy (08/25/2004)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today released a copy of the procedural rules of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the specially constituted intelligence court that oversees FBI surveillance in foreign intelligence and terrorism investigations. The ACLU obtained the rules as part of a final settlement of a lawsuit that sought details on how the government is using expansive surveillance powers granted by the Patriot Act.

Through Gag Orders and Secret Evidence, Government Is Suppressing Information About Controversial Patriot Act Powers, ACLU Charges (08/19/2004)
NEW YORK - The government is using gag orders and secret evidence to keep the public in the dark about its use of the Patriot Act to investigate Americans, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

Des Moines Adopts Anti-Patriot Act Resolution (07/27/2004)
DES MOINES - The Iowa Civil Liberties Union today applauded the passage of a pro-civil liberties resolution by the Des Moines City Council last night, which urges the federal government to remove unconstitutional aspects of the Patriot Act and affirms the city's commitment to defending national security without sacrificing fundamental civil rights and freedoms. The action made Iowa's capital city the 342nd local government in the nation to adopt an anti-Patriot Act resolution.

Ashcroft's Patriot Act Report to Congress Omits Key Information, ACLU Says (07/13/2004)
NEW YORK - A report submitted to Congress today by Attorney General Ashcroft on the government's use of the Patriot Act omits key information and avoids any mention of numerous controversial provisions of the law, the American Civil Liberties Union said.

ACLU Welcomes CA Attorney General's Investigation of Undercover Surveillance of Anti-War Group (06/29/2004)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the news that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has agreed to conduct an investigation into the undercover surveillance of Peace Fresno, a community organization featured in Michael Moore's new film Fahrenheit 9/11.

Supreme Court Says Courts Can Review Bush Administration Actions in Terrorism Fight (06/28/2004)
NEW YORK - Rejecting the Bush administration's arguments that its actions in the war on terrorism are beyond the rule of law, the Supreme Court today ruled that detainees and "enemy combatants" held by the United States are entitled to challenge their detention in court.

New Records Show That FBI Invoked Controversial Surveillance Powers Weeks After Attorney General Declared that Power Had Never Been Used (06/17/2004)
NEW YORK - Federal Bureau of Investigation documents turned over to the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil liberties organizations under court order reveal that the FBI invoked a controversial provision of the Patriot Act only weeks after Attorney General John Ashcroft publicly declared that this power had never been used.

ACLU Says That Patriot Act Has Been Misused, Extent Unknown Because of Government Stonewalling (06/07/2004)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today countered the Bush administration's frequent claim that the USA Patriot Act should be made permanent, saying that, at a minimum, the law has been misused. The ACLU also criticized the excessive secrecy surrounding the law, which makes it impossible to find out the extent of its misuse or abuse.

ACLU Strongly Refutes Cheney's Comments Alleging No Abuses Under the Patriot Act (06/01/2004)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union strongly refuted comments made today about the Patriot Act by Vice President Richard Cheney, who told an audience in Kansas City, Missouri that no abuses under the Patriot Act have been reported or confirmed.

U.S. Army General Joins the ACLU in Opposing Provisions of the Patriot Act; Calls Current Law a Subversion of Americans' Basic Rights (05/29/2004)
NEW YORK - U.S. Army Brig. Gen. (ret.) Evelyn "Pat" Foote today joined with the American Civil Liberties Union and civil libertarians across the political spectrum in opposing current draconian measures contained within the Patriot Act.

ACLU Rejects Bush Administration Call to Remove Patriot Sunsets (05/25/2004)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged Congress and the American people to reject the latest call by the Bush administration to extend the USA Patriot Act. The ACLU said that the president's renewed request, which came in new campaign advertising that began airing today, is misleading and ignores strong bi-partisan support for fixes to the law.

New Documents Unsealed in ACLU and NYCLU Patriot Act Challenge (05/25/2004)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today made public its brief and supporting documents asking a court to strike down a controversial provision of the Patriot Act. Among the documents is a heavily censored declaration that confirms, for the first time, the existence of the ACLU's anonymous client in the case.

Justice Department May Be Using Controversial Patriot Act Powers After All, Letter Reveals (05/20/2004)
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Ashcroft's widely publicized announcement last September that the Justice Department had not yet used a controversial provision of the Patriot Act is now under question in two pending lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the group revealed today.

Judge Revises Sealing Order in Controversial Patriot Act Challenge (05/12/2004)
NEW YORK - A federal judge today revised a strict sealing order in a challenge to the Patriot Act's expanded "National Security Letter" power filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union.