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U.S. Government Increasingly Blocking Entry at the Border Because of Ideology, ACLU Says (07/12/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union today released new documents that indicate the government is broadly interpreting and using a controversial Patriot Act power known as the "ideological exclusion" provision to block people from entering the country. The ACLU is concerned that the provision is increasingly being used to target foreign scholars and others whose politics the government disfavors.

ACLU Applauds Pentagon Memo Stating Military Detainees Covered By Geneva Conventions, But Justice Department Tells Congress It Should "Ratify" Broken Military Commission System (07/11/2006)
Washington, DC - After more than four years of lawlessness, the Defense Department took a big first step toward complying with federal law, by stating that it will comply with Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions when holding detainees. However, just hours after the announcement of the new Pentagon policy, a top Justice Department lawyer urged Congress to “ratify” the military commissions that the Supreme Court invalidated two weeks ago.

Human Rights Monitors Doubt U.S. "Diplomatic Assurances" That Detainees Won't Be Tortured (07/11/2006)
NEW YORK -The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Law School's Human Rights Clinic today filed a Freedom of Information Act request for information to determine U.S. compliance with domestic law and international agreements that prohibit the transfer of individuals to countries where they face a substantial risk of torture. The request seeks information on transfers of individuals by the U.S. to foreign countries on the basis of assurances obtained from these countries that they will not torture the individuals.

Senior Defense Department Officials' Failure to Provide Clear Interrogation Policy Resulted in Abuses, Documents Show (07/10/2006)
NEW YORK -- Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union under the Freedom of Information Act show that military commanders in Afghanistan requested in January 2003 that the Defense Department clarify which interrogation methods could be used against prisoners held by U.S. forces, but that senior Defense Department officials ignored the request. The ACLU released some of the government documents last week and, after review, released the remainder today.

Government Abusing State Secrets Claim in NSA Case, ACLU Tells Court (07/10/2006)
DETROIT -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan argued in federal court today that the National Security Agency should be held accountable for illegally monitoring the phone calls and e-mails of millions of Americans without warrants.

ACLU of Ohio Files First Lawsuit Challenging State’s Patriot Act (07/10/2006)
COLUMBUS, OH - The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today filed its first challenge to the much-maligned Ohio Patriot Act with the Ohio Supreme Court. The lawsuit, which specifically disputes a requirement forcing lawyers who act as public defenders to sign a statement certifying they are not terrorists, is only the first round of litigation challenging the many dangerous sections of the Act, the ACLU said.

Pentagon Releases Whitewash Report on Detainee Abuse (07/03/2006)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union announced today the receipt of several key documents regarding the military’s internal investigations into allegations of abuse. The Church Report was among the documents the government was forced to release to the ACLU as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request regarding detainees held overseas by the United States. While the Church Report’s executive summary was released in March of 2005, this is the first time the full report has been made available.

On Independence Day, ACLU Notes Cause for Celebration and Concern (07/03/2006)
WASHINGTON - On the Fourth of July 230 years ago, a group of brave Americans launched a bold experiment in freedom - the United States of America. Among the reasons they cited for their unprecedented break with the British Empire was a king who had 'obstructed the Administration of Justice' and 'refused his Assent to Laws' the American colonies had freely passed to assure their safety and prosperity.

Lawmakers Confirm NSA Spying Program (06/30/2006)
WASHINGTON - USA Today reported today that fully 19 members of Congress have confirmed that the National Security Agency has built a massive database of American phone records for the purpose of monitoring American calling patterns. USA Today is also reporting that five of those lawmakers have confirmed that AT&T has participated in the program and stated that BellSouth did not. Three lawmakers stated that Verizon did not participate in the program but its subsidiary, MCI, did.

Supreme Court Says Guantánamo Bay Military Commissions Are Unconstitutional; ACLU Calls Decision a Victory for the "Rule of Law" (06/29/2006)
NEW YORK -- In a sharp rebuke to the Bush administration, the United States Supreme Court today ruled that the military commissions system established by President Bush to try detainees at Guantánamo Bay is unfair and illegal. The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, applauded the decision.

ACLU Condemns House Resolution Approving SWIFT Program (06/29/2006)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the House of Representatives to vote against a resolution that would support the Administration’s program to collect financial information obtained by the SWIFT financial clearinghouse. The House resolution also condemns the news media’s disclosure of that program.

ACLU Welcomes European Scrutiny Of U.S. Snooping On Financial Data (06/28/2006)
NEW YORK-The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed a call by the London-based group Privacy International to investigate the U.S. government's tracking of financial information from the SWIFT financial cooperative, and said that it was assisting PI in its effort to press European officials to take action.

Senate Panel Examines President’s Use of "Signing Statements"; ACLU Welcomes Probe into Administration’s Abuse of Power (06/27/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the Senate Judiciary Committee’s examination of President Bush’s use of presidential "signing statements," noting that such statements are a tool the president uses to subvert his duty to uphold U.S. law. Since taking office, President Bush has issued such signing statements affecting more than 750 laws, often claiming a supposed right to not enforce laws passed by Congress that he thinks limit his asserted unlimited powers.

4,000 New Yorkers Call on Officials to Investigate Phone Companies' Privacy Violations (06/26/2006)
NEW YORK -- On behalf of more than 4,000 New Yorkers, the New York Civil Liberties Union has again called upon Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the Consumer Protection Board to investigate allegations that AT&T and Verizon have improperly shared telephone records of New York residents with the National Security Agency.

Government Drops Demand for Library Records (06/26/2006)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today declared victory in their legal battle with the FBI over a Connecticut library group's right to keep patron records private. After dropping their vehement defense of the gag provision accompanying the request, the FBI has now abandoned the demand all together.

Federal Judge Says Government Must Act on Muslim Scholar’s Visa Request (06/23/2006)
NEW YORK -- A federal judge today ruled that the government cannot continue to stonewall the visa application of Tariq Ramadan, a prominent European Muslim scholar, and that the government cannot bar non-citizens from the United States simply because of their political views. The decision comes in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union challenging a part of the Patriot Act known as the “ideological exclusion” provision.

ACLU Says Government Spying on Bank Records is Further Abuse of Power (06/23/2006)
NEW YORK - The ACLU today condemned the U.S. government for gaining access to vast troves of international financial data with no judicial or Congressional oversight nor definition of how the information is being used.

ACLU Hosts "Road to Guantánamo" Screening and Discussion with Filmmaker (06/22/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union tonight will host an advance screening of Michael Winterbottom's critically acclaimed "Road to Guantánamo" at the IFC Center in downtown Manhattan. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the film's director, ACLU Executive Director, human rights experts and three innocent men who were wrongly detained at Guantánamo.

Despite New Privacy Policy, AT&T Can't Rewrite Right and Wrong, ACLU Says (06/22/2006)
NEW YORK -- Changes that AT&T has instituted in its privacy policy are a completely inadequate response to the company's apparent betrayal of its customers' privacy by illegally providing calling information to the NSA.