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FBI Practices Need Strict Oversight, ACLU Says (04/23/2008)
Washington, DC – As FBI Director Robert Mueller appeared before Congress today, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the House Judiciary Committee to ask him the “hard questions.”

ACLU Applauds Senate Scrutiny of Overbroad NSL Authority (04/23/2008)
Washington, DC – As an overbroad and often-abused power is examined today by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union urged members of the committee to thoroughly question its witnesses before marking up legislation aimed at fixing the problem. The "National Security Letter Reform Act" introduced by committee member Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI), would narrow the scope of National Security Letters (NSLs) and curb abuse by federal law enforcement. NSLs are used to obtain access to personal customer records from Internet Service Providers, financial institutions and credit reporting agencies. Recipients of the NSLs are generally forbidden, or "gagged," from disclosing that they have received the letters.

ACLU Calls for Investigation into NSL Abuse (04/08/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday called on Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine to begin an internal investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) use of National Security Letters (NSLs), and whether they were used to funnel Americans’ private information to the Department of Defense (DOD). The NSL statute is a tool used by law enforcement to compel the release of information, such as communications or business records, without a court order. The revelation that the military is getting the FBI to issue NSLs in strictly DOD investigations was disclosed in documents obtained by the ACLU through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The ACLU sent a letter to Fine yesterday asking him to investigate whether the FBI has aided the DOD in circumventing the law.

FBI Audit Exposes Widespread Abuse Of Patriot Act Powers (03/13/2008)
WASHINGTON – A report released today by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on the FBI’s use of National Security Letters (NSLs) reveals a systemic, widespread abuse of power. The FBI’s authority to issue NSLs was widely expanded by the USA Patriot Act and it has been increasingly used to collect private information on American citizens without court approval. Today’s audit follows a report released last year that found serious breaches of department regulations and multiple potential violations of the law.

ACLU Urges Senate: Ask FBI the Tough Questions (03/05/2008)
Washington, DC – As the Senate Judiciary Committee was set to question FBI Director Robert Mueller III today, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the committee to ask Director Mueller the tough questions about the bureau’s civil liberties record.

Patriot Act Victim Speaks Out on Spy Bill (11/14/2007)
Washington, DC – Brandon Mayfield, an Oregon attorney falsely linked to terrorism, sent a statement to Congress this month urging the body against legislation that would overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Mayfield was subject to unconstitutional surveillance under the Patriot Act and subsequently arrested and held without charge. Mayfield wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee members Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Russell Feingold (D-WI) asking that they consider the effect that the FISA Amendments Act of 2007 would have on innocent Americans.

Federal Court Strikes Down Patriot Act Search and Surveillance Provisions (09/27/2007)
NEW YORK – A federal district court in Oregon last night struck down two search and surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. The decision came in a case brought by Brandon Mayfield against the federal government after the FBI mistakenly linked him to the Madrid train bombings in 2004. The court found that secret searches of Mayfield's house and office violated the Fourth Amendment's guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure.

ACLU Welcomes Proposed NSL Fix in Senate (09/25/2007)
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.

ACLU Warns Congress Against Broadening FISA Power (05/01/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union called today’s FISA hearing held by the Senate Select Intelligence Committee a setback to the rule of law. The committee met to discuss and hear testimony from administration officials about proposed “modernization” to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act submitted by Department of Justice and intelligence community officials.

ACLU Says FBI Guidelines Will Make Little Difference, Congress Must Impose Meaningful Oversight and Fix NSL Statute (04/18/2007)
Washington, DC - Today the American Civil Liberties Union and other privacy groups met with FBI representatives to discuss new guidelines for internal controls concerning National Security Letters. The Inspector General of the Department of Justice recently issued a report on the FBI’s abuse of National Security Letters that detailed significant abuses of the FBI’s NSL powers. The FBI scheduled the meeting to inform civil rights and privacy experts and to alleviate fears about internal guidelines.

ACLU: Congress Must Reject Administration’s Call for FISA’s ‘Modernization’ (04/13/2007)
WASHINGTON - Justice Department and intelligence community officials today submitted a bill to Congress asking for changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to reject this new attempt to erode the Fourth Amendment and its protections.

Librarian Who Challenged NSLs Urges Congress to Fix Patriot Act (04/11/2007)
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 Urges Senators to Hold FBI Responsible; Says Concerns About National Security Letter Abuses Remain (03/27/2007)
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.

Congress Begins Oversight Hearings on FBI NSL Abuses; ACLU Urges Lawmakers to Demand Truth, Fix Patriot Act (03/20/2007)
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 (03/09/2007)
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.

ACLU's Top Lobbyist Urges Privacy Board To Act to Protect Civil Liberties (12/05/2006)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union’s top lobbyist, Caroline Fredrickson, appeared today at the first public hearing of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to urge the board to conduct aggressive investigation and oversight over the administration’s dismantling of the civil liberties of all Americans.

FBI Drops Another Patriot Act Demand But Keeps Gag on Internet Service Provider (11/22/2006)
NEW YORK - After more than two years in a legal battle with the American Civil Liberties Union, the FBI has abandoned a Patriot Act demand for the subscriber records of a small Internet Service Provider. The ACLU welcomed the decision but criticized the FBI for refusing to lift a gag order that prevents the provider from disclosing its identity.

Nationwide, Voters Stand Up for Civil Liberties and Freedom (11/08/2006)
WASHINGTON - Yesterday voters nationwide rejected candidates who failed to uphold civil liberties and rejected ballot initiatives that undermine fundamental freedoms of all Americans.

Citing Improvements to Law, ACLU Withdraws Section 215 Case But Vows to Fight Individual Orders (10/27/2006)
DETROIT -- Citing improvements to the law, the American Civil Liberties Union today withdrew a three-year-old lawsuit over Section 215 of the Patriot Act, but said it is prepared to defend individuals who receive demands for information under the provision.

ACLU Victorious in First Challenge to Ohio Patriot Act (09/13/2006)
COLUMBUS, OH -- Today, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that attorneys seeking to represent indigent clients are no longer required to sign documents swearing that they are not terrorists and have no involvement with terrorist groups. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio had challenged the provision, which is part of the Ohio Patriot Act, calling the requirement unnecessary red tape that will do nothing to prevent terrorism.