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New York Senate Hearings Highlight Need to Reverse Course on Real ID
NEW YORK – In response to today’s New York Senate hearing on “Protecting Our State’s Security,” which will include a discussion on Governor Eliot Spitzer’s recent decision to submit to the Real ID Act, the following can be attributed to Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union:

ACLU Slams Gov. Eliot Spitzer for Plan to Sacrifice New Yorkers' Privacy for Failed, Costly Real ID Program
WASHINGTON - The ACLU today condemned an announcement by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer that he would implement the Real ID Act, which would turn state driver's licenses into a national ID card. Spitzer made the announcement with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff.

ACLU Calls Hand Over of Spy Documents Self-Serving
Washington, DC – After months of stonewalling, the White House has offered to release documents regarding its illegal wiretapping to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in an effort to ease the way for intelligence legislation it wants passed. The American Civil Liberties Union labeled the release manipulative and self-serving as these documents have been under subpoena for over four months. The administration has held onto the documents until Congress was in a position to aid the White House.

ACLU Applauds Senators’ Stands on Telecom Immunity, Growing List of Senators Won’t Let the Telecoms Off the Hook
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union stands behind senators who have pledged to stand up against any FISA gutting legislation that includes letting the telecom companies off the hook for illegal activity. Senators who have pledged to stand against immunity for telecoms are: Senator Joseph Biden (D-CT), Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI). Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL). Senator Dodd was the first to announce that he would actively oppose any legislation that included immunity for illegal acts committed by telecommunications companies over the past six years.

ACLU Answers Congress’ Question ‘Can SBI Succeed?’: No
Washington, DC – Congress asked today in a committee hearing appropriately called "The Future of Border Security: Can SBINet succeed?" and the American Civil Liberties Union has a definitive answer: No. Even Department of Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff himself has admitted the program has problems, calling it "unsatisfactory."

ACLU Disappointed in Senate Intel Committee Vote on FISA, Wyden/Feingold Amendments Slightly Improve Bad Bill
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union is mystified that the Senate Select Intelligence Committee would pass a FISA bill, drafted with heavy input from the Bush administration, which does not protect Americans from intrusive domestic spying and creates a path to immunity for telecommunications executives. However, a small improvement was made as Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI) were successful in including the addition of a requirement that the government get a warrant when it targets an American abroad (such as a missionary, business person or soldier). Now the bill moves to the Senate Judiciary committee.

House Panel Considers Secure IDs, and ACLU Asks ‘What About Privacy?’
WASHINGTON – A subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing today on secure identification technology, and the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to consider the privacy implications before rushing to embrace new technology. Since 9/11, some Members of Congress have proposed the government mandate identity documents for everyone, including citizens. Congress has passed sound-good legislation without fully considering their impact on Americans’ privacy. The government’s troubled, still behind-schedule Real ID program, which 17 states have rejected, and the notoriously delayed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, are only two examples of the government’s problems getting identity security off the ground.

Reporters Shield Bill that Passed the House Compromises on Free Speech, ACLU says
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed disappointment with the version of the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 that passed in the House last night, but believes the reporters’ shield legislation is a step in the right direction. H.R. 2102, introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Rick Boucher (D-VA), will lessen the chance that reporters will be arrested or intimidated for their reporting, particularly when using government sources.

ACLU Opposes RESTORE Act, House Bill Does Not Have Sufficient Civil Liberties Protections
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today announced its opposition to the RESTORE Act, saying the bill gives the government the ability to spy upon Americans without an individual warrant. Since the bill does not require individual warrants before government agents seize material from Americans on American soil, it fails to be constitutional.

Selective Document Release Does Not Justify Telecom Immunity, ACLU Says
Washington, DC – After months of ignoring congressional subpoenas, yesterday the Bush administration submitted selected documents on domestic spying to the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee originally requested documents outlining the legal basis for the warrantless eavesdropping program in June and the administration has since refused to cooperate, missing deadline after deadline. Though it is unclear what exact documents were given to the Senate Intelligence Committee, their disclosure was aimed at securing immunity for telecommunications companies for their role in the domestic spying program. The ACLU strongly rejects any attempt at immunizing telecom companies for violating the law and Americans’ privacy rights.

Senate Judiciary Committee Must Obtain Iron-Clad Commitments from Judge Mukasey before Moving Forward
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Senate Judiciary Committee to consider the confirmation process of former U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mukasey for Attorney General as an opportunity to address the longstanding and unresolved issues surrounding the Department of Justice. This is also the time for the committee to thoroughly examine Judge Mukasey’s record from his time on the bench.

ACLU urges Senate to Examine TSA’s Privacy Violations in Post-9/11 Record
Washington, DC – As a Senate transportation committee holds a hearing today on the Transportation Security Administration’s implementation of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, the ACLU hopes Congress will examine TSA’s record of implementing security measures without sufficiently addressing their privacy implications.

ACLU Demands Fourth Amendment Protections, Says FISA Fix Must Include Individual Warrants
Washington, DC - Today, as two key House committees are scheduled to review FISA-related legislation, the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to keep the Fourth Amendment in FISA and require that the government get individual warrants before monitoring American phone calls and emails. Both the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees are scheduled to mark up legislation aimed at fixing the controversial Protect America Act, which broadly expanded the government’s ability to spy on Americans. The bill being marked up is the RESTORE Act, which grants the government the use of "basket" warrants (sometimes called "blanket" or "program" warrants). Basket warrants raise major Fourth Amendment concerns as they do not require specific individuals be the targets of suspicion. The ACLU is asking the Committees to amend the RESTORE Act to include individual warrants.

ACLU Response to President Bush’s Request for Telecom Amnesty, Civil Liberties Group Lauds House Committee Vote to Reject Telecom Immunity
Washington, DC – The ACLU responded to the president’s call for telecom amnesty in the RESTORE Act and two House Committees' vote to reject the immunity provision in mark-ups of the legislation.

ACLU Welcomes Representative Holt’s Stand on the Fourth Amendment, Says FISA Legislation Does Not Need to Ignore the Constitution
Washington, DC – Today the American Civil Liberties Union welcomed proposed legislation from Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) that would protect vital constitutional rights. The bill, “The FISA Modernization Bill of 2007,” counters the Democratic leadership’s “RESTORE Act,” also introduced today. Both bills are attempting to fix the disastrous “Protect America Act” that was rushed through Congress in August and rubberstamped the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. The ACLU believes that Rep. Holt’s bill is constitutional because, unlike the RESTORE Act, it does not include so-called basket warrants for American communications. Blanket warrants do not require individualized suspicion and are tantamount to no warrant at all.

ACLU Statement on RESTORE ACT
WASHINGTON -- Today the Democratic leadership unveiled the RESTORE Act. What follows are the ACLU’s comments on that draft.

ACLU Applauds Constitutional Stand of Progressive Caucus
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today lauded a move by the Congressional Progressive Caucus to bring a controversial spy law back in line with the Constitution. The caucus, made up of 72 members of Congress, released eight basic principles that it says must be included in any changes made to the Protect America Act (PAA). The PAA was rushed through Congress this summer and eviscerated the very law it was supposed to update - the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

ACLU Encouraged By Steps to Investigate Telecoms’ Role in Spying
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded efforts by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to investigate the role of phone companies and internet service providers in the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. Telecommunications companies were long suspected to have been intimately involved and have been vigorously lobbying Capitol Hill for immunity for their actions since the program was disclosed in 2005. Most recently, they have pushed to have amnesty included in the reauthorization of the Protect America Act, the legislation rushed through Congress this summer that greatly expanded the government’s ability to spy on Americans.

ACLU Urges Senate to Move Ahead With Contempt Charges, Rejects Claims of Executive Privilege
Washington, DC – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union called on Congress to move forward with contempt proceedings against White House officials who refused to cooperate with legitimate subpoenas issued under congressional authority. The ACLU also released a memo to assist Congress in understanding the limits of executive privilege and the authorities it has to compel compliance with the subpoenas issued by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program. The ACLU’s memo concludes that the documents requested are not covered under the privilege and should be released immediately. The administration has already missed two deadlines set by the committee.

ACLU Skeptical of Information Sharing at Fusion Centers, Upcoming Report on Fusion Centers to be Released by the ACLU
Washington, DC –The American Civil Liberties Union expressed concern about fusion centers today. Fusion centers are federal, state, local and regional units, designed to improve the sharing of anti-terrorism intelligence among different branches of state, local and federal governments. Wary of potential privacy risks, the ACLU will soon be releasing a report on the 42 fusion centers that have opened in the United States.