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U.S. Groups Renew Legal Challenge to Lift Ban on Muslim Scholar
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it filed a new legal complaint challenging the federal government’s continued exclusion of prominent Swiss scholar Tariq Ramadan. The complaint also challenges the Patriot Act’s “ideological exclusion” provision, which authorizes the government to deny visas to foreign citizens on the basis of their political views.

House Judiciary Hearing Examines Presidential Signing Statements, ACLU Applauds Panel’s Probe into Administration’s Power Grab
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today commended the House Judiciary Committee for holding its first hearing of the 110th Congress to examine President Bush’s use of presidential “signing statements.” Since taking office, President Bush has issued such statements affecting more than 750 laws, often claiming a right to not enforce laws passed by Congress.

Maine Becomes First State to Reject Flawed Real ID Act; ACLU Applauds Move That Foils Plans For National ID System
WASHINGTON - The state of Maine today became the first state to reject participation in the Real ID Act - the federal law that lays the foundation for a national identity card. The American Civil Liberties Union applauded the move and predicted that it would be just the first in a cascade of state refusals.

ACLU of New Mexico Joins Legislative Opposition To Real ID Act
ALBUQUERQUE - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and organizations from both sides of the political spectrum today joined state legislators in opposition to the creation of a national identification card and the implementation of the federal Real ID Act of 2005 in New Mexico.

ACLU: The State of Civil Liberties in America is Precarious
WASHINGTON - "As President Bush delivers his State of the Union address, it is essential that we bear in mind that for six years the policies of the Bush administration have threatened and undermined the very essence of a free and democratic America. The state of our civil liberties is precarious.

ACLU Raises Objections Over Expanded Military and CIA Domestic Spying
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed serious concerns about the use of "National Security Letters" by the Department of Defense and the CIA to collect the financial records of American citizens and called on Congress to launch an immediate investigation.

ACLU Urges Congress To Clean House; Calls on Lawmakers to Restore and Protect Civil Liberties
WASHINGTON – Top leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union today called on the newly installed 110th Congress to defend the fundamental freedoms of all Americans. In a letter sent to all members, the leaders also outlined the ACLU’s legislative agenda.

New ACLU Ads Call on 110th Congress to Restore Lost American Freedoms
WASHINGTON - Beginning Thursday, January 4, a new print advertisement will run in targeted congressional districts, calling on the 110th Congress to restore the constitutional freedoms lost in recent years.

U.S. Citizen Asks Federal Court to Insure Safe Passage For His Family Back from Canada
CHICAGO - The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today asked a federal judge to help ensure a safe, uneventful trip across the U.S.-Canadian border for a suburban Chicago father and U.S. citizen when he, his wife and young children travel next week.

ACLU of West Virginia Praises Government Reinstatement of Iranian Couple
MORGANTOWN, WV - The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia today announced that is has reached an agreement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to reinstate an Iranian Muslim couple who had been unjustly terminated from their positions at NIOSH for undefined “security” reasons. Aliakbar and Shahla Afshari will receive back pay and benefits as well as damages to compensate them for the loss of income, humiliation, and emotional distress they suffered as a result of the terminations.

Government Backs Down in its Attempt to Seize "Secret" Document From ACLU
NEW YORK - One week after the American Civil Liberties Union moved to quash an unprecedented government grand jury subpoena demanding "any and all copies" of a previously "secret" memorandum, the government today backed down from the fight, asking a judge to withdraw the subpoena and saying that the document in question has been declassified.

ACLU Presents "inSECURITY," the New Spoken-Word Album from Steve Connell & Sekou (tha misfit)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union will host a CD release party tonight for “inSECURITY,” a new live CD written and performed by award-winning artists Steve Connell and Sekou (tha misfit). The event will be held at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City and will feature a special performance by the artists.

ACLU Lauds Akaka-Sununu Real ID Fix Bill, Says Additional Privacy and Civil Liberties Safeguards Still Needed
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the introduction of bipartisan legislation authored by Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and John Sununu (R-NH) that would add privacy and civil liberties safeguards to the Real ID Act. The "Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2006" would address several of the shortcomings of the controversial legislation adopted last year, including the establishment of a National ID.

DHS Acknowledges That Terror Ranking Program Is Already in Effect, ACLU Says Program Violates Congressional Spending Ban and Public Notice Requirements
WASHINGTON - In a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledges that its controversial Automated Targeting System terror-ranking program is already in operation - despite a congressional ban on such ranking systems and despite the fact that Congress and the public were never properly notified. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union today called on Congress to put a halt to this program and look into why it was created without public notice.

ACLU's Top Lobbyist Urges Privacy Board To Act to Protect Civil Liberties
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union’s top lobbyist, Caroline Fredrickson, appeared today at the first public hearing of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to urge the board to conduct aggressive investigation and oversight over the administration’s dismantling of the civil liberties of all Americans.

ACLU Calls on DHS to Withdraw Plan For Tagging Americans With 40-Year “Risk Assessments”
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today condemned an unprecedented new program for generating terrorist ratings on tens of millions of travelers, including American citizens, maintaining those ratings for 40 years, and making them available throughout the government.

Nationwide, Voters Stand Up for Civil Liberties and Freedom
WASHINGTON - Yesterday voters nationwide rejected candidates who failed to uphold civil liberties and rejected ballot initiatives that undermine fundamental freedoms of all Americans.

ACLU Calls on Bush Administration to Stop the Abuse of Power
WASHINGTON -- During a gathering of more than 1,500 civil libertarians, the American Civil Liberties Union today continued its charge to end the Bush administration’s unprecedented abuse of power. Citing a variety of examples, the organization fielded high-charged panels of experts all united in calling for the return to fundamental Constitutional principles and the rule of law.

ACLU Calls for Overhaul of Aviation Watch Lists in Wake of "60 Minutes" Report
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union called today for the government to shut down its current, fatally flawed aviation watch lists and instead focus on known threats to aviation. The call came in response to a "60 Minutes" report on the matter scheduled to be aired on CBS this Sunday.

Detroit Judge Finds Patriot Act Provision Threatens Free Speech Rights
DETROIT - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed a federal court ruling that the Patriot Act threatens the free speech and religious freedom rights of groups who have reason to believe they are targeted by the law.