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ACLU Opens New South Carolina Office Today (07/02/2008)
CHARLESTON, SC – The American Civil Liberties Union opened its new South Carolina Office today, marking the creation of a new and powerful voice on behalf of civil liberties across the state.

ACLU Releases Navy Files On Civilian Casualties In Iraq War (07/02/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today released thousands of pages of documents related to Navy investigations of civilians killed by Coalition Forces in Iraq, including the cousin of the Iraqi ambassador to the United States. Released today in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the ACLU filed in June 2006, these records provide a vivid snapshot of the circumstances surrounding civilian deaths in Iraq.

ACLU to Mark One Millionth Addition to TSA Terrorist Watch List (07/02/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union will mark the addition of the one millionth name to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) terrorist watch list in a July 14th Press Club event. The roll-over to one million confirms the warnings the ACLU has been making for years: the TSA is pinning American security on a system of watch lists that are bloated, inefficient, ineffective and unfair.

ACLU And EFF Sue Justice Department To Uncover Records Of Cell Phone Tracking (07/01/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit today urging a federal court to order the Department of Justice (DOJ) to turn over records related to the government's use of people's cell phones as tracking devices. The ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the records in November 2007 following revelations that federal officials are using Americans' cell phones to pinpoint their locations, sometimes without a warrant or any court oversight. The DOJ has failed to release the documents or provide an adequate response to the request.

ACLU Reacts to DHS OIG Report on ICE Detainee Deaths and Medical Care (07/01/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reacts to the release of the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s report, “ICE Policies Related to Detainee Deaths and the Oversight of Immigration Detention Facilities.” The report examines two of the 33 detainee deaths reported between January 1, 2005 and May 31, 2007 and DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) standards related to detainee deaths and the medical treatment of immigration detainees.

US-EU Data Sharing Can’t Happen Without U.S. Legislation (07/01/2008)
The negotiations underway between U.S. security agencies and their European counterparts over the transatlantic transfer of personal data are just the latest attempt to overcome a looming problem that has consistently interfered with the Bush Administration’s attempts to collect the personal information of an ever-increasing share of the world’s population.

ACLU Asks Federal Court To Reinstate Extraordinary Rendition Lawsuit Against Boeing Subsidiary (06/30/2008)
The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a brief asking a federal appeals court to reinstate a lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan for its role in the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program on the grounds that the government misused the "state secrets" privilege to have the case thrown out. Mohamed et al. v. Jeppesen was dismissed in February after the government intervened, inappropriately invoking the privilege to avoid legal scrutiny of an unlawful program.

ACLU Calls For Greater Accountability For Unlawful Deaths In U.S. Custody (06/30/2008)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the United States government to heed the concerns of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions. Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, whose mission includes reporting on alleged killings in the U.S. and overseas for which U.S. government and military officials may be responsible and the failure to prosecute and punish those responsible, announced his preliminary findings after touring the U.S. at the invitation of the U.S. government.

ACLU In Federal Court Today To Prevent Deportation Of Egyptian To Torture (06/30/2008)
PHILADELPHIA – The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Pennsylvania were in a federal appeals court today challenging the government's efforts to deport an Egyptian torture victim. The government claims to be relying on unreviewable "diplomatic assurances" from Egypt that it will not torture him upon his return. Last January, in the first decision of its kind, a federal district court sided with the ACLU and ordered the government to stop the deportation of Sameh Khouzam based on such secret and unreliable promises and release him under conditions of supervision. However, the Bush administration appealed this ruling, claiming that the executive branch has unfettered authority to deport Khouzam and to detain him indefinitely pending his legal proceedings.

U.S. Government Announces Charges Against USS Cole Suspect Al-Nashiri In Guantánamo Military Commission System (06/30/2008)
NEW YORK - Even while the Bush administration's Guantánamo policy continues to crumble, the U.S. government announced charges today against another detainee. The government is seeking the death penalty for Abd Al-Rahim Hussain Mohammed Al-Nashiri, who is being charged for his alleged involvement in crimes including the USS Cole bombing. The American Civil Liberties Union is sponsoring civilian attorneys to represent Al-Nashiri through its John Adams Project, a partnership with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to supplement the under-resourced military defense teams that have been assigned to detainees.

ACLU Applauds First-Ever Congressional Hearing on Gender Identity in the Workplace (06/26/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Heath, Employment, Labor, and Pensions for holding the first-ever congressional hearing on transgender issues and gender identity discrimination in the workplace. Chaired by Representative Robert Andrews (D-NJ), the committee heard from retired Army Colonel and ACLU client Diane Schroer. The ACLU is currently representing Schroer in a Title VII sex discrimination lawsuit against the Library of Congress.

ACLU To Open New South Carolina Office (06/26/2008)
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The American Civil Liberties Union will announce the opening of its new South Carolina Office July 2 at a press conference and ceremonial ribbon-cutting that will include Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and a host of other political and community leaders.

ACLU Urges Senate to Reject Unconstitutional Surveillance Bill (06/26/2008)
Washington, DC --The ACLU urges Senators to reject legislation that eviscerates the oversight structure of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

On International Day To End Torture, ACLU Renews Call For Independent Prosecutor (06/26/2008)
NEW YORK - On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the American Civil Liberties Union calls on the United States government to appoint an independent prosecutor for U.S. torture crimes, to put an end to practices that involve torture and abuse and to fulfill its obligations under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The CAT, ratified by the U.S. in 1994, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering upon those under their control, prohibits the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and bars the transfer or the rendition of persons to countries where they could be at risk of being tortured.

Supreme Court Deals Blow To Bush Administration's Guantánamo Policy And Affirms Individual Right To Bear Arms (06/26/2008)
NEW YORK - The Supreme Court ended its 2007 Term by rejecting a centerpiece of the Bush administration's crumbling Guantánamo policy for the third time in four years while recognizing, for the first time in American history, an individual right to bear arms under the Second Amendment.

ACLU Calls For End To Mandatory Prayer At U.S. Naval Academy (06/25/2008)
BALTIMORE – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Maryland are urging the U.S. Naval Academy to stop forcing midshipmen to participate in the Academy's compulsory "noon meal prayers."

ACLU Challenges Government's Ban On Renowned South African Scholar In Federal Court Today (06/25/2008)
BOSTON – Today in federal court, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Massachusetts challenged the government's refusal to grant a visa to respected South African scholar Adam Habib. Last fall, the State Department refused Habib a visa after months of inaction, claiming that he is barred because he has "engaged in terrorist activities," but the government failed to explain the basis for its inflammatory accusation, let alone provide a single piece of evidence to prove it.

ACLU Commends House Judiciary Subcommittee for Continued Investigation into Whether High-Level Officials Authorized Torture (06/25/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union commends Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties for their continued efforts to uncover the full extent of this administration’s approval of torture in the interrogation of detainees. Tomorrow’s hearing is the last in a series of three held by the subcommittee on torture, and the first time both David Addington, chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, and John Yoo, formerly of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), are scheduled to testify before Congress on their roles in approving the use of torture. An important focus of the series of hearings has been whether high-level government officials violated federal criminal laws against torture and abuse.

ACLU Sues Department Of Homeland Security For Information On Deaths In Immigration Detention Centers (06/25/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for refusing to turn over thousands of public documents in their possession detailing the deaths of immigration detainees held in U.S. custody.

ACLU Urges Congress to Ensure Privacy of Electronic Health Records (06/25/2008)
Washington, DC – Today, lawmakers will be making decisions about the future of patients’ medical privacy as legislation aimed at pushing the health care industry toward a conversion from paper to electronic health records is due for a vote by a House panel.