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Massachusetts Pilot Cleared in Court Settlement; TSA Drops Accusations Based on Secret Evidence (08/07/2006)
BOSTON, MA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts announced today that it has settled two cases brought on behalf of Massachusetts pilot Robert Gray who had been labeled a threat by the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) based on secret evidence.

Reauthorized Patriot Act Still Unconstitutional, ACLU Says (08/07/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union announced today that they have returned to court to challenge the constitutionality of the reauthorized Patriot Act's National Security Letter (NSL) provision. The provision permits the FBI to prohibit anyone who receives an NSL from disclosing that the FBI has sought or obtained information from them.

Supreme Court Unseals Documents in Patriot Act Case (08/03/2006)
WASHINGTON — Following a Supreme Court order, the American Civil Liberties Union today released legal documents that were previously sealed by the government and the courts during a legal battle over a controversial Patriot Act power.

ACLU Urges Senate to Reject Draft White House Proposal on Detainees (08/02/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to ensure that any legislation regarding criminal trials of detainees being held indefinitely by the federal government includes the basic due process protections valued by all Americans. Both the Senate Armed Services and Judiciary Committees met today to examine the issue. Top government officials, including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and the Judge Advocates General for the four armed services testified today on the administration’s position.

DOJ Threatens to Sue Maine PUC (08/02/2006)
PORTLAND, ME – The United States Department of Justice has threatened to sue the Maine Public Utilities Commission if it decides to open an investigation into Verizon Maine’s cooperation with the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program. In a letter dated Friday, July 28, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler cited the DOJ’s history of issuing lawsuits in response to similar investigations in New Jersey and Missouri.

Former U.S. Diplomats Urge Court to Review Case of German Man Kidnapped by CIA (07/31/2006)
NEW YORK -- Former United States diplomats and State Department officials today told a federal appeals court that denying a judicial forum to an innocent German citizen who was kidnapped by the CIA further "damages U.S. standing in the world community and our ability to obtain international cooperation in combating terrorism."

New Report by ACLU of Northern California Documents Government Monitoring of Lawful Protest and Lack of Regulations (07/27/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO – Federal, state and local agencies have infiltrated or monitored the political activity of Californians throughout central and northern California in what has become a disturbing trend, according to a report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

ACLU Asks For Investigation Into Report of Innocent People Watchlisted to Meet Air Marshals' Quota (07/27/2006)
NEW YORK-The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Chief Privacy Officer of the Department of Homeland Security to investigate a news report that federal air marshals are being directed to fill a monthly quota of reports labeling particular Americans as "suspicious."

ACLU Urges Congress to Uphold American Values in Detainee Trials (07/26/2006)
WASHINGTON - As the House Armed Services Committee met today to consider the procedures for criminal trials of detainees held by the federal government, the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to ensure that any resulting legislation include the most basic due process protections valued by all Americans.

ACLU of Michigan Says Phone Companies Broke the Law, Urges Public Service Commission to Investigate (07/26/2006)
DETROIT -- Responding to reports that phone companies are turning over private details about Americans' telephone calls to the National Security Agency, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed a complaint with the Michigan Public Service Commission against telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon.

ACLU: FISA Must Not Be Gutted Under Pretext of "Modernization," President Must Show Respect for Rule of Law (07/26/2006)
WASHINGTON - As the Senate Judiciary Committee met to examine the issue of "modernizing" the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the American Civil Liberties Union urged Congress to reject attempts to further erode the Fourth Amendment and its protections. Since President Bush authorized the warrantless wiretapping and data-mining of Americans by the National Security Agency in 2001, FISA has been constantly violated.

ACLU Appeals Case of German Man Kidnapped by CIA (07/25/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today announced that it has filed an appeal on behalf of Khaled El-Masri, an innocent German citizen who was kidnapped by the CIA and transported to a secret Afghan prison where he was detained and abused. A lower court previously dismissed the suit after accepting the CIA's argument that further court proceedings would disclose "state secrets."

ACLU of Illinois Responds to Ruling in Terkel v. AT&T (07/25/2006)
CHICAGO, IL -- U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly today granted a motion by the United States Department of Justice to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois on behalf of Chicago author Studs Terkel and other prominent Chicagoans challenging the actions of telephone giant AT&T in divulging the telephone records of its customers to the federal government without lawful authorization. The court agreed with the government’s argument that the need to protect “state secrets” necessitated dismissing the lawsuit.

ACLU Seeks Information on Extent of Bush Administration Spying (07/19/2006)
NEW YORK— In an effort to determine the breadth of the Bush administration’s massive surveillance programs, the American Civil Liberties Union today filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with several government agencies seeking details of financial tracking efforts not only with regard to the SWIFT program revealed in June, but also several other financial organizations that ACLU research indicates are likely targets.

ACLU Slams Bush's Block of Justice Department Inquiry on NSA Spying (07/19/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly rebuked President Bush for his direct involvement with the suspension of an investigation by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) into the warrantless surveillance program conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA).

ACLU Urges House Intelligence Committee to Protect Fourth Amendment, Says FISA Must Not Be Gutted in the Name of "Modernization" (07/19/2006)
WASHINGTON - As the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence met to consider the "modernization" of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the American Civil Liberties Union urged members of the panel to reject attempts to further erode the Fourth Amendment protections of ordinary Americans. That law has been constantly violated since President Bush in 2001 authorized the warrantless wiretapping and data-mining of Americans by the National Security Agency.

Gonzales Says CIA Detainees Protected by Geneva Conventions; Reversal Follows Similar Decision by the Department of Defense (07/19/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed testimony by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions applies, "without exception," to all detainees held by the government- including detainees held by the Central Intelligence Agency. That announcement, made Tuesday, follows last week’s announcement by the Department of Defense that Common Article 3 applies to all detainees held by the Defense Department.

Homeland Security Gave Pentagon Information on Anti-War Student Groups in California (07/18/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Department of Homeland Security provided the Pentagon with information on anti-war protests at University of California campuses last year, according to the most recent government documents released to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

Government Cannot Shirk Accountability for Illegal Surveillance by Claiming State Secrets, ACLU Tells Chicago Judge (07/13/2006)
CHICAGO -- In a rare oral argument, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today asked a federal court judge in Chicago to block the government's effort to shield telephone giant AT&T from accountability for sharing the telephone records of subscribers with the National Security Agency without lawful authorization. The ACLU alleges that AT&T violated the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (EPCA) by providing the government with records of customers across Illinois.

ACLU Says New Specter-Cheney NSA Bill Provides Sham Oversight, Says Congress Must Be Independent of the Executive (07/13/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly rebuked new legislation offered by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) that would give the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court “optional” review over the National Security Agency’s controversial program to spy on Americans. The legislation was announced this morning and was drafted in close consultation with the White House.