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ACLU Sues Over Exclusion of South African Democracy Scholar from U.S.
BOSTON – The Departments of State and Homeland Security are illegally blocking South African scholar Adam Habib from entering the U.S. under circumstances that suggest it is because of his political views, according to a lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Massachusetts. Censorship at the border prevents U.S. citizens and residents from hearing speech that is protected by the First Amendment, the ACLU charges.

ACLU Blueprint for FISA, ACLU Urges Congress to Restore Judicial Review
Washington, DC – The ACLU released a blueprint for the ongoing legislative battle over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act today. Director of the Washington Legislative Office Caroline Fredrickson said, “If lawmakers feel compelled to permanently amend FISA, Congress must ensure the legislation restores judicial review and protects the privacy rights of innocent Americans.”

ACLU Welcomes Proposed NSL Fix in Senate
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today praised legislation that would fix the contentious National Security Letter (NSL) statute. The legislation, named the National Security Letter Reform Act of 2007, was introduced by Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John Sununu (R-NH). In the House, Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) have introduced their own NSL fix, H.R. 3189, also called the National Security Letters Reform Act of 2007.

Military Commissions Appellate Court Reinstates Unfair Tribunals for Guantánamo Detainees
NEW YORK – A military appeals court last night reinstated charges against Canadian citizen and Guantánamo detainee Omar Khadr. The decision by the newly formed court reversed a June ruling by a military judge which found that the tribunal system created by Congress to prosecute certain prisoners held at Guantánamo lacked authority to try detainees not previously determined to be “unlawful enemy combatants.” Monday’s decision found that the commissions themselves can designate a suspect an “unlawful enemy combatant.” Khadr was 15 years old when he was captured.

NYCLU Praises Expansion of Immigrant Access to Driver’s Licenses
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union, along with immigrants' rights and labor organizations, applauds Governor Eliot Spitzer’s decision to broaden immigrant access to driver’s licenses. Under guidelines announced today, New Yorkers can obtain a driver’s license without regard to their immigration status.

The ACLU Urges Congress to Be Skeptical of Administration Claims on FISA
WASHINGTON – Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and President George W. Bush have launched their version of a charm offensive to try to get controversial wiretapping legislation passed. Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office said, “As part of the PR effort to gut the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Bush administration has pulled out every scare tactic in the book including exaggeration and outright fibbing. This goes hand-in-hand with the usual fear-mongering, all designed to get Congress to vote to suspend the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans.”

ACLU Cheers DOD Amendment Restoring Habeas Corpus Due Process Rights
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union applauds today’s Senate vote of 56 to 43 on a procedural motion related to an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would restore habeas corpus rights. It is now clear that with a majority of senators voting for the amendment, habeas restoration is not only needed, but also desired by the Senate. To restore Habeas Corpus for those detained by the United States (S.AMDT. 2022), offered by Senators Specter (R-PA), Leahy (D-VT) and Dodd (D-CT), would restore the constitutional due process right of habeas corpus that was stripped away by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA).

ACLU Says Congress Should Demand Four Part Pledge Before Confirming Bush Attorney General Nominee
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union urges the Senate to extract a pledge from attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey, or any nominee, unless he or she pledges under oath to meet the four demands listed below.

The ACLU Celebrates Constitution Day by Urging Congress Not to Fail Freedom
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union is urging Congress to fix the outrageous Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act legislation that opened the doors to warrantless government spying on Americans.  The ACLU’s national field director Jeani Murray said, “Constitution Day just took on a whole new meaning: because the Constitution needs to be repaired.”  Murray explained that before leaving for their August recess, Congress caved in to the administration’s demand for more out-of-control authority to spy on Americans.

ACLU Condemns Phone Companies’ Role in FBI Datamining, Reaffirms No Amnesty for Telecoms
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today condemned reports that telecommunications companies datamined their customers' records at the request of the FBI. The requests, first reported by the New York Times, asked phone companies to identify the “communities of interest” of customers being scrutinized by the FBI and were brought to light in documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The FBI has since ceased the demands.

ACLU Applauds House Judiciary Action to Restore Habeas Corpus
Subcommittee marks up bill restoring habeas rights to Guantanamo detainees

ACLU Urges House to Fix FISA Legislation, Warns Against Amnesty for Telecom Companies
Washington, DC - Today the American Civil Liberties Union urged House Judiciary Committee members to address recent changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The inaccurately- named "Protect America Act" caused public outcry when it was rushed through Congress before the August recess. The legislation overhauled the surveillance law, reversing its original intent by stripping its privacy protections and judicial review.

ACLU Demands FBI Rewrite Spying Guidelines in Light of Reports of Spying on Civil Rights Leader Coretta Scott King
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today issued a call to change FBI spying guidelines after documents were released revealing that the FBI spied on Coretta Scott King, after the death of her husband Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in an attempt to stem the civil rights movement. After the government was criticized for spying on Dr. King, the FBI was prohibited from spying on Americans. But in 2002 former Attorney General John Ashcroft changed the guidelines to permit the FBI to spy on individuals in public places.

Gonzales Resignation Does Not Pardon President’s Abuse of Power, ACLU Says
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today said U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ resignation requires further congressional investigation into the Bush administration’s systematic abuse of power.

ACLU Calls On Congress to Hold Administration in Contempt, Calls Latest Missed Spy Deadline Outrageous
Washington, DC –Today, after the White House missed its second deadline to respond to congressional subpoenas for information on the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program, the American Civil Liberties Union called on Congress to hold the Bush administration accountable. The new compliance date was set by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) after both the House and Senate passed the administration’s sweeping changes to the very law it circumvented with the domestic spying program – the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The ACLU is asking Senator Leahy and the Committee to vote to hold the White House in contempt upon Congress’ return in September.

ACLU Rebukes U.S. Government for Failing to Act on Visa Request of South African Scholar
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today criticized the State Department for failing to respond to a visa application by South African scholar Adam Habib. The ACLU said the government's actions suggest the Bush administration is excluding Habib because it disagrees with his politics.

ACLU Encouraged By New Spy Deadline
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union was encouraged today by a new deadline set by the Senate Judiciary Committee for documents it subpoenaed from the White House. In a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked that internal documents relating to the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program be turned over to the committee by August 20. The White House asked for an extension, one day before the original July 18 deadline, claiming it would not have been able to “come close to completing” a document review. In the meantime, both the House and the Senate passed sweeping legislation to expand the very law the administration circumvented with its domestic spying - the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The legislation, pushed through Congress at the behest of the White House and subject to a six-month sunset provision, essentially authorized the very program that Senator Leahy and the committee are seeking information about.

ACLU Condemns Administration Circumvention of Spy Judge
WASHINGTON – Following reports that a judge overruled the Bush Administration’s wiretapping procedures, the American Civil Liberties Union today slammed the White House for attempting to rush new domestic spying legislation through Congress this week. The alleged ruling by a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge against a “basket warrant” led the administration to begin fiercely lobbying Congress to make sweeping changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before Congress recesses.

ACLU Warns Congress Against Rushing Spy Law Changes
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today warned Congress to resist the Bush administration’s attempts to rush problematic spying changes through the House and Senate before the congressional recess begins next week. The administration has reinvigorated its attempts to "modernize" the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and is leaning on Congress to pass legislation before lawmakers finish investigating the illegal warrantless wiretapping program.

President Bush Asking for More Power to Wiretap Americans, Gutting of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union is responding to President George W. Bush’s call for the gutting of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.