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ACLU Commends Senate Judiciary Subpoena for Interrogation Documents (09/25/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC –The American Civil Liberties Union commends the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote today to authorize a subpoena of the Department of Justice (DOJ) legal opinions justifying harsh interrogation tactics.

Privacy vs. the Internet: Americans Should Not be Forced to Choose (09/25/2008)
Washington, DC – The Senate Commerce Committee continued exploring the issue of Internet privacy and online marketing today with a hearing on Internet service providers’ (ISPs) use of deep packet inspection (DPI). Use of this technology allows ISPs to scrutinize Internet users’ e-mail and browsing activities, to monitor usage and communications traffic, and sell that information to advertisers or turn it over to government officials. The risks posed by this technology are significant and should not be underestimated. The ACLU urges members of the committee to zealously guard the privacy of the American people.

ACLU Commends House Oversight Hearing on Department of Justice’s Plan for 2008 Election (09/24/2008)
Washington, DC – Today the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee and the Elections Subcommittee of the House Administration Committee are scheduled to hold a joint hearing, entitled “Federal, State and Local Efforts to Prepare for the 2008 Election.” As part of this hearing, Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, will testify. Recently, Attorney General Mukasey told voting rights advocates that there was no greater priority in the next two months for DOJ than to ensure a smooth election in November. To keep this promise and to protect the fundamental right to vote, DOJ must be prepared prior to Election Day with a comprehensive plan. The ACLU, therefore, applauds this congressional oversight of DOJ’s preparations for the 2008 elections.

ACLU Disappointed With Federal Court Decision Upholding Tennessee's Disenfranchisement Law (09/23/2008)
NASHVILLE – A federal court today rejected a challenge to a Tennessee law that made the restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies contingent on the payment of all outstanding legal financial obligations (LFOs), namely restitution and child support fees. The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Tennessee, which brought the case on behalf of four individuals who have completed their terms of imprisonment, parole and probation for their offenses, expressed disappointment with the decision.

Appeals Court Orders Defense Department To Release Detainee Abuse Photos In ACLU Lawsuit (09/22/2008)
NEW YORK – A federal court today ordered the Department of Defense to release photographs depicting the abuse of detainees by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected the government's appeal of a 2006 order directing the Defense Department to release the photos. Today's decision comes as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking information on the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody overseas.

Defense Lawyers For 9/11 Detainees Challenge Bias And Political Influence At Guantánamo Proceedings This Week (09/22/2008)
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba – Appearing before a Guantánamo military commission today, military attorneys and civilian lawyers sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union's John Adams Project sought to interject a degree of fairness into the deeply flawed system. Among several requests, defense lawyers are asking that all charges be dismissed against the detainees accused of crimes related to the 9/11 attacks because of a history of political interference from Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, a top Pentagon general.

Farmers Branch, Texas Anti-Immigrant Ordinance Is Blocked While Challenge Continues (09/22/2008)
DALLAS – City officials in Farmers Branch, Texas today agreed not to fight a request from residents to block the city's latest anti-immigrant ordinance from taking effect while a legal challenge continues. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) filed a request in federal court on the residents' behalf for a preliminary injunction blocking the ordinance. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas is expected to enter the injunction today.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court To Review Landmark Indefinite Detention Case (09/19/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Bush administration's authority to indefinitely imprison a legal resident of the United States without charge or trial. The case was filed on behalf of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, who has been detained in solitary confinement at a Navy brig in South Carolina since June 2003. The ACLU is asking the Court to reverse a federal appeals court decision that gave the president sweeping power to deprive individuals in the United States of their most basic constitutional rights.

Transgender Veteran Wins Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Against Library of Congress (09/19/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today a federal judge ruled that the Library of Congress illegally discriminated against a Special Forces veteran when she was denied a job after announcing her intention to transition from male to female. In a groundbreaking decision, the court ruled that discriminating against someone for changing genders is sex discrimination under federal law.

ACLU Urges Senate Judiciary to Subpoena Interrogation Documents (09/18/2008)
The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote to authorize a subpoena for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to produce the legal opinions that approved harsh interrogations of detainees held by the United States. The committee has repeatedly requested these documents and has seen very little cooperation from DOJ. The Justice Department has provided some heavily redacted documents, which Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA) have called inadequate. If authorized, the subpoena would legally require DOJ to comply with the committee’s request.

Advancement Project And ACLU Sue Michigan Secretary Of State Over Unlawful Voter Purging (09/18/2008)
DETROIT – Advancement Project, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP filed a federal lawsuit late yesterday challenging two statewide voter purge programs that could potentially disfranchise hundreds of thousands of Michigan voters in advance of the November 2008 presidential election. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit against Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Christopher M. Thomas, and Ypsilanti Clerk Frances McMullen.

Deaths in Custody Reporting Act Must Demand Accountability in Federal Immigration Detention Facilities (09/18/2008)
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up a bill that reauthorizes a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) program, called the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, which is designed to report the deaths of prisoners and immigration detainees in local and state custody. The ACLU urges senators to strengthen the House-passed bill, H.R. 3971, the Deaths in Custody Reporting Act of 2008, by requiring federal detention facilities to report in-custody deaths to the attorney general.

Federal Lawsuit Challenges District Of Columbia's Funding Of Religious Mission (09/18/2008)
WASHINGTON – The ACLU of the National Capital Area, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the District of Columbia's plan to grant more than $12 million in public property and cash to the Central Union Mission, a religious homeless shelter.

ACLU Calls Immigrant Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008 Long Overdue (09/17/2008)
Washington, DC – Today for the second time in two weeks, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up a bill requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop procedures to ensure adequate medical and mental health care for all detainees held by DHS Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The ACLU urges the House Judiciary Committee members to vote for H.R. 5950, the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008, introduced by Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). This bill is the first congressional action to provide basic medical care of immigration detainees after months of compelling TV and newspaper exposes detailing deficient medical care and over 60 immigration detention deaths.

ACLU Launches Constitution Voter Campaign To Restore Lost Liberties In ‘08 (09/17/2008)
The American Civil Liberties Union launched a new campaign asking Americans to pledge to be Constitution Voters. The “I’m a Constitution Voter” campaign is a nonpartisan initiative to encourage activists to let candidates – including those running for president – know that the Constitution will be the first thing on their minds when they step into the polling booth this November. In addition to asking voters to sign a pledge to help make the Constitution a central issue in this campaign season, ACLU affiliates from coast to coast are holding events to commemorate Constitution Day and educate people about the rights and freedoms the Constitution protects.

ACLU Reaffirms Opposition To Unconstitutional FBI Guidelines (09/17/2008)
Following testimony before both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees this week, FBI Director Robert Mueller failed to dispel unease regarding new internal FBI guidelines governing investigations. Yesterday and today, members of both committees sought reassurances that the guidelines – which give overly broad authorities to agents – would not be abused by the bureau. Director Mueller said the guidelines would not be rewritten to include more safeguards but that protections would instead be written into overarching FBI policies.

ACLU Survey Reveals Elections Officials Lack Knowledge Of Voting Rules (09/17/2008)
COLUMBIA, SC – The American Civil Liberties Union today released the results of a survey of state elections officials which reveal widespread misunderstanding of the laws governing the right to vote of citizens with criminal records, endangering the voting rights of many in a presidential election year.

Appellate Court Declines to Overturn Arizona Employer Sanctions Law (09/17/2008)

ACLU And MALDEF File Lawsuit To Stop Farmers Branch Newest Anti-Immigrant Ordinance (09/15/2008)
DALLAS – Friday, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas filed a complaint in federal court charging that Farmers Branch Ordinance 2952 violates the U.S. Constitution and federal and state statutes. The ordinance, which requires all renters in Farmers Branch to register their presence with the City and obtain an occupancy license, is the city's third effort to restrict residency in Farmers Branch.

ACLU Asks Court To Strike Down Unconstitutional Spying Law (09/12/2008)
NEW YORK – The FISA Amendments Act is the most sweeping surveillance bill ever enacted by Congress and should be struck down as unconstitutional because it utterly fails to protect U.S. residents' privacy and free speech rights, according to a brief filed in federal court today by the American Civil Liberties Union. This is the first legal brief challenging the constitutionality of the new wiretapping law and is part of the ACLU's landmark lawsuit to stop the government from conducting surveillance under the law.