Category «Civil Liberties»

Homeland Security Secretary Proposes Increase in Spending for Domestic Surveillance Programs

EPIC: “Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testified before the House Committees on Homeland Security, and said that DHS plans to connect governmental databases containing personal information, expand the government’s employment tracking system, promote passenger screening, use e-passports, employ watchlists and utilize contactless identity verification cards. EPIC has opposed Fusion Centers, the E-Verify program and the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Privacy

Upcoming Hearing: Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry

News release: “Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has announced three witnesses for a hearing scheduled Wednesday, March 4, on Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry. Leahy has proposed establishing a nonpartisan commission to examine past national security policies. Leahy has invited three witnesses to testify at the hearing: Thomas …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research

State Department Releases Human Rights Reports

2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, February 25, 2009: “As we publish these reports, the Department of State remains mindful of both domestic and international scrutiny of the United States’ record. As President Obama recently made clear, “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.” We do not consider views …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents

DOD Releases Report Reviewing Guantánamo Detainee Conditions of Confinement

Follow up to Backgrounder, Database and Executive Order: Closing Guantanamo, the Department of Defense released a Review of Department Compliance With President’s Executive Order on Detainee Condition of Confinement: “After considerable deliberation and a comprehensive review, it is our judgment that the conditions of confinement in Guantánamo are in conformity with Common Article 3 of …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research

February 2009: Civil Rights Digital Libraries Enhance Americans Understanding of Important Era

“The Civil Rights Digital Library (CRDL), a comprehensive civil rights Web site and portal hosted by the University of Georgia, saw an enormous spike in the number of hits during the week of January 19 when the nation celebrated the inauguration of President Barack Obama and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Among CRDLs …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Knowledge Management, Libraries

LLRX Book Review – Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States

LLRX Book Review by Heather A. Phillips – Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States – Heather A. Phillips discusses author Hiroshi Motomura’s insights into changing views on this experience, including the status of immigration as contract, and that of immigration as affiliation.

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

UN: Afghanistan – Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 2008

United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, Human Rights Unit: Afghanistan – Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 2008. January 2009. “The Human Rights Unit of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded a total of 2118 civilian casualties between 01 January and 31 December 2008. This figure represents an increase of …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents

Backgrounder, Database and Executive Order: Closing Guantanamo

Closing Guantanamo, Greg Bruno, Staff Writer, February 12, 2009. Council on Foreign Relations Introduction The Guantanamo Inmates: Who Are They? The Guantanamo Inmates: How to Try Them The Guantanamo Inmates: Where to Send Them Constitutional and Other Considerations See also The Guantánamo Docket – The Detainees: “Of the 779 people who have been detained at …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research

President Obama Directs the National Security and Homeland Security Advisors to Conduct Immediate Cyber Security Review

News release: “President Obama has directed the National Security and Homeland Security Advisors to conduct an immediate review of the plan, programs, and activities underway throughout the government dedicated to cyber security. This 60-day interagency review will develop a strategic framework to ensure that U.S. Government cyber security initiatives are appropriately integrated, resourced and coordinated …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, E-Government, Government Documents, PC Security, Privacy

Civil Liberties and National Security After 9/11: A CFR Working Paper

War About Terror – Civil Liberties and National Security After 9/11: A Council on Foreign Relations Working Paper, by Daniel B. Prieto, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and National Security, February 2009 “President Barack Obama, in one of his first moves in office, reversed some of the most controversial detention and interrogation policies of the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research

Notice Concerning the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

EEOC: “On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (Act), which supersedes the Supreme Courts decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Inc., 550 U.S. 618 (2007). Ledbetter had required a compensation discrimination charge to be filed within 180 days of a discriminatory pay-setting decision (or …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research, Legislation

Recent CRS Reports: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Congress as a Consumer of Intelligence Information

January 22, 2009 – Proposed Funding for Education in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 January 16, 2009 – Health Insurance Continuation Coverage Under COBRA January 16, 2009 – Economic Stimulus: Issues and Policies January 15, 2009 – Closing the Guantanamo Detention Center – Legal Issues: “This report provides an overview of major …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Thank you!