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ACLU Gains Support of Lawmakers in Court Fight Against Illegal Spying (05/11/2006)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it has received the support of several members of Congress in the organization's ongoing lawsuit challenging the National Security Agency's illegal domestic spying program. Led by Congressman John Conyers, (D-MI), the group of 72 legislators filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the ACLU.

Bush Continues to Stonewall on Guantánamo; Detainees Are Not Given a Fair Trial (05/08/2006)
NEW YORK -- In an interview broadcast on German television last night, President Bush said he would like to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, but was awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of military commissions established by his administration. The American Civil Liberties Union, which has called President Bush's military commissions unfair and unlawful, today criticized the president for continuing to deny Guantánamo detainees a fair trial.

Hayden Nomination Raises Serious Civil Liberties Concerns (05/08/2006)
WASHINGTON -- Following the announcement that President Bush will nominate General Michael V. Hayden to be the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the Senate to vigorously question the nominee on his involvement with the warrantless program to spy on Americans. Hayden was the director of the National Security Agency when this illegal program was launched in 2001 and has been one the chief defenders of these actions in violation of the Fourth Amendment and the Foriegn Intelligence Surveillance Act.

New Hampshire Vote On Quitting Real ID Shows Act's Troubles (05/05/2006)
NEW YORK -- Last night, the New Hampshire Senate narrowly defeated a measure that would have rejected the Real ID Act. Passage would have seriously disrupted the unified national identity card system that proponents are hoping to create. Nevertheless, while the Real ID Act continues to cling to life, having dodged a bullet in the Granite State, the Act is still deeply troubled and will remain so despite having survived its latest crisis.

U.S. Fails to Uphold Torture Treaty Abroad and at Home (05/04/2006)
GENEVA -- The U.S. government is in clear and unequivocal violation of its obligations under the Convention Against Torture, the American Civil Liberties Union charged today at the opening session of the U.N. Committee Against Torture in Geneva. According to the ACLU, these violations were widespread and occurred both within the U.S. and abroad. The U.N. Committee Against Torture will review U.S. compliance with the treaty which it ratified in 1994.

FBI Targeted Journalist Covering Free Trade Meetings in Miami (05/04/2006)
MIAMI -- The American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Miami Chapter, filed a lawsuit today on behalf of a journalist who was under FBI surveillance because of his involvement in protests. The ACLU has obtained FBI documents showing that the FBI monitored freelance journalist David Lippman as he traveled from his home in North Carolina to Miami to cover the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) protests in 2003.

ACLU of New Jersey Goes to Court for Open Government Records (05/04/2006)
NEWARK, NJ -- The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey filed one lawsuit and reopened another today in actions concerning refusals by five New Jersey towns and the State Attorney General's Office to disclose information about individuals and organizations designated as "potential threat elements," including the criteria used by the state to make such determinations.

FBI Counterterrorism Unit Spies on Peaceful, Faith-Based Protest Group (05/04/2006)
ATLANTA - The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia today released new evidence that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is using counterterrorism resources to spy on peaceful faith- and conscience-based advocacy groups. School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch) and its multinational faith-based network is the latest organization uncovered by the ACLU to have been subject to Federal Bureau of Investigation counterterrorism surveillance.

Army Documents Show Senior Official Reportedly Pushed Limits on Detainee Interrogations (05/02/2006)
NEW YORK -- New Army documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union today reveal that Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez ordered interrogators to “go to the outer limits” to get information from detainees. The documents also show that senior government officials were aware of abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan before the Abu Ghraib scandal broke.

Senate Judiciary Committee Delays Consideration of NSA Spying Bills; Move Follows House Failure to Rein in Warrantless Eavesdropping Program (04/27/2006)
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today delayed consideration of several bills concerning the warrantless domestic surveillance of Americans by the National Security Agency. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed that step and continued to urge members of that panel to reject attempts to legislate on the issue without a full investigation into the illegal program.

Actors and Writers Read Works from Luminaries Censored at the Border (04/27/2006)
NEW YORK -- Prominent authors and actors convene tonight in lower Manhattan to read from the works of writers and scholars who were banned from the United States because of their political opinions.

ACLU Leaders Meet with White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Board, Call for Board to Exercise Strong, Independent Role (04/27/2006)
WASHINGTON - Key leaders from the American Civil Liberties Union today met with the White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board in order to encourage that panel to conduct aggressive investigation and oversight over several matters of pivotal importance to the civil liberties of all Americans.

On Second Anniversary of Release of Abu Ghraib Photos, ACLU Sees Growing Opposition to Administration’s Abuse of Power (04/27/2006)
NEW YORK -- Two years since the publication of the notorious photos depicting torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. custody at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, only a small number of low-ranking soldiers has been prosecuted, with great fanfare. The Bush administration has steadfastly refused to hold high-level officials accountable for creating the policies and tolerating a permissive climate that resulted in the abuse of detainees. That denial of accountability must end if we are to ensure that we never repeat the mistakes of Abu Ghraib.

U.S. Violates Treaty Against Torture Abroad and at Home (04/27/2006)
NEW YORK -The American Civil Liberties Union today released a detailed report on the failure of the U.S. abroad and at home to comply with the treaty against torture. The report was filed with the U. N. Committee Against Torture, which will review U. S. compliance with the Convention Against Torture in early May.

ACLU Urges Senate Panel to Reject NSA Spying Bills, Says Congress Must Fully Investigate Before Taking Action (04/26/2006)
WASHINGTON - In anticipation of Thursday's expected mark-up by the Senate Judiciary Committee of various bills concerning the warrantless domestic surveillance of Americans by the National Security Agency, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged members of that panel to reject attempts to legislate on that issue without a full investigation into the illegal program.

Responding to ACLU Lawsuit, Government Backs Away from Claim that Swiss Muslim Scholar Endorsed Terrorism (04/25/2006)
NEW YORK - In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union on behalf of academic organizations, the Departments of State and Homeland Security have backed away from a claim that noted Swiss Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan is being denied entry to the United States because he endorsed or espoused terrorism.

ACLU to Provide Live Updates from Guantánamo Military Tribunals (04/25/2006)
NEW YORK -- As military commissions resume today at the Guantánamo Bay naval base, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney attending the hearings will post his observations to the ACLU’s blog at http://blog.aclu.org.

Business and Civil Rights Leaders Support ACLU Challenge to NSA Warrantless Wiretapping (04/20/2006)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today announced the filing of two friend-of-the-court briefs supporting its lawsuit challenging the National Security Agency’s illegal domestic spying program. One brief was submitted on behalf of six prominent leaders of the nation’s business community and the other by five leading civil rights organizations.

ACLU Urges Federal Court to Lift Ban Blocking Muslim Scholar from United States (04/13/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union today urged a federal judge to lift the ban that prevents Professor Tariq Ramadan from entering the United States.

ACLU Releases First Government Authentication of Abu Ghraib Abuse Images Along With One New Photo (04/11/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union today released the first official U.S. government authentication of images of detainee abuse by U.S. forces at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The Department of Defense was forced to turn over the information as well as one additional image as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the ACLU in 2003.