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Librarian Who Challenged NSLs Urges Congress to Fix Patriot Act
WASHINGTON - George Christian, Executive Director of Library Connection and a client in the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Letter challenge case, today urged the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution to fix the Patriot Act provision.

ACLU: Congress Must Close Guantanamo Bay Detention Center
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union continues the fight to close Guantanamo Bay, especially in light of today's New York Times revelation of the long-term hunger strike that has broken out there.

Washington Becomes Fourth State to Oppose REAL ID
OLYMPIA, WA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today announced that the state legislature passed a bill in a landslide to block implementation of the federal REAL ID Act. The action makes Washington the fourth state to pass legislation opposing the law, joining Maine, Idaho and Arkansas.

ACLU, JACL and ADC Alarmed that Census Violated Privacy in World War II, Urges Congress to Ensure Similar Actions Are Not Happening Now
WASHINGTON - Following reports in USA Today that the Census Bureau gave American surveillance agencies information on persons of Japanese Ancestry during World War II, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) urged Congress to investigate and ensure that such practices do not occur today.

House Armed Services Committee Examines Military Commissions Act, ACLU Urges Congress to Restore Due Process
WASHINGTON - As the House Armed Services Committee met to consider the Military Commissions Act, the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to restore habeas corpus and other due process protections eliminated by that law. The hearing comes during the same week that the first commissions under the new law began in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

ACLU Urges Senators to Hold FBI Responsible; Says Concerns About National Security Letter Abuses Remain
WASHINGTON - As the Senate Judiciary Committee held an oversight hearing on the FBI, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged lawmakers to hold the agency’s feet to the fire, citing concerns over recent revelations that the FBI abused National Security Letter authority expanded by the Patriot Act.

Senate Must Fix Shortfalls in Real ID Act, ACLU Says; Panel Examines Anti-Privacy Law for First Time
WASHINGTON - Appearing before a key Senate panel, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged Congress to examine the Real ID Act and take steps to correct the civil liberties and privacy failures in the law.

Congress Begins Oversight Hearings on FBI NSL Abuses; ACLU Urges Lawmakers to Demand Truth, Fix Patriot Act
WASHINGTON - As the House Judiciary Committee convened an oversight hearing today on the Justice Department Inspector General’s audit that found the FBI has abused and misused its National Security Letter authority, the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to demand truth and accountability from the administration. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a similar hearing on Wednesday.

ACLU Calls for Repeal of Expanded Patriot Act Powers in Response to Government Report on Abuses, Says Attorney General and FBI Are Part of the Problem and Can’t Be Trusted to Curb Abuses of Power
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today called on Congress to repeal a provision of the Patriot Act granting the FBI expanded powers to demand sensitive personal information without judicial supervision through the use of so-called National Security Letters.

Nadler-Harman Bills Would Restore Rule of Law and Due Process, ACLU Welcomes Measures, Urges Congress to Act Swiftly
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed two separate bills introduced by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) that would restore Constitutional rights including due process for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. The "Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007" and "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007" would fix many of the problems contained in the Military Commissions Act passed by Congress last year.

Idaho Becomes Second State to Reject Real ID, ACLU Applauds Move, Urges Other States to Follow Suit
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded Idaho for becoming the second state in the nation to reject participation in the Real ID Act. That law, enacted in 2005, lays the foundation for a national identity card.

New Regulations Get an ‘F’ in Solving Problems With Real ID Act, ACLU Scorecard Shows
WASHINGTON - An American Civil Liberties Union scorecard analysis of the proposed new federal regulations on the Real ID Act, which was released today, finds that the regulations solve only 9 percent of problems with the legislation that have been identified.

ACLU of Massachusetts Calls for Rejection of Real ID, Draft DHS Regulations Ignore Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns
BOSTON - The ACLU of Massachusetts today called for Massachusetts to join the growing number of states considering rejection of the flawed "Real ID" national identity card program.

ACLU Slams Draft DHS Regulations on Real ID, Says Delay Fails to Address Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today slammed draft regulations for the implementation of the Real ID Act released by the Department of Homeland Security, calling them a "real nightmare" for America that will only lead to a national identity card system that violates personal privacy, bigger bureaucratic messes, longer lines, increased identity theft and higher fees.

ACLU Praises Akaka-Sununu Real ID Repair Proposal, Says Measure Provides Needed Privacy and Civil Liberties Safeguards
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the introduction of a bipartisan measure authored by Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and John Sununu (R-NH) that would add critical privacy and civil liberties safeguards to the Real ID Act. Their proposal, the "Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007" would fix several shortcomings of the controversial Real ID Act adopted by Congress.

ACLU: Senator Collins’ Real ID Amendment is Not a Real Solution; Proposal Fails to Address Law’s Fundamental Flaws
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today said that the proposal introduced by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to delay the implementation of the Real ID Act by two years, fails to resolve the law’s fundamental privacy and civil liberties concerns.

U.S. Government Illegally Censoring Speech at Border, Groups Tell Court
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a new motion in federal court seeking to strike down a provision of the Patriot Act that allows the United States government to deny entry to foreign scholars because of their political views. The law, known as the “ideological exclusion” provision, violates the right of Americans to hear constitutionally protected speech, charged the ACLU.

ACLU Issues Real ID "Scorecard," Checklist Provides Framework For Evaluation of Upcoming Regulations
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today released a "scorecard" for evaluating Real ID Act regulations that are expected to be released soon by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The rules will provide the states with precise instructions on how to implement the act, which seeks to create a backdoor national identity card system by federalizing state driver’s licenses.

Bush Administration Fails to Sign Accord on Secret Detentions; ACLU Says Programs Must be Shut Down Permanently
WASHINGTON - Responding to the Bush administration's decision not to sign an international accord regarding secret detentions and forced disappearances, the American Civil Liberties Union today expressed disappointment and urged Congress to examine the government's policies and practices that would have conflicted with the agreement -- and to shut down permanently all secret detention programs and facilities and end the practice of illegal kidnapping.

ACLU Praises New Senate Subcommittee On Human Rights, Welcomes Congressional Oversight of Torture, Rendition
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the debut of the new Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. Chaired by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the subcommittee has jurisdiction over all human rights laws and policies and will focus on issues such as genocide, human trafficking, war crimes, torture and arbitrary detention.