Category «Civil Liberties»

Report: Representational Bias in the 2006 Electorate

Press release: “Project Vote releases a report today, Representational Bias in the 2006 Electorate, by Douglas Hess that finds a continuing problem with the U.S. electorate: those who are registered and vote are not representative of the overall U.S. population eligible to vote. The proportion of the U.S. population that registers to vote and that …

Subjects: Civil Liberties

House Intelligence Cmte. Approves Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Overhaul Opposed by White House

Follow up to October 9, 2007 posting, Conyers, Reyes Introduce FISA Revision Legislation, today’s press release: “The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence voted 12-7 today to send the RESTORE Act (H.R. 3773) to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.”

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

Conyers, Reyes Introduce FISA Revision Legislation

Press release: “Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) introduced The Responsible Electronic Surveillance that is Overseen, Reviewed, and Effective Act of 2007 – the RESTORE Act,in an effort to address concerns about civil liberty protections in the hastily-enacted Protect America Act that was signed into …

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

Judiciary Expresses Concerns About Proposed Regulations Regarding Capital Cases

US Courts: “The Judicial Conference has expressed concerns about proposed regulations issued by the Department of Justice for states seeking to qualify for expedited federal habeas corpus review procedures in capital cases. Concerns about the certification-implementation regulations proposed June 6, 2007, were aired in an August 1 letter from the Conference to DOJ. In 1996, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research

Declassifying the "Fact of" Satellite Reconnaissance

Press release: “Today the National Security Archive publishes a collection [links to 41 documents accompany this release] of documents concerning U.S. policy with regard to acknowledging the “fact of” U.S. satellite reconnaissance operations – particularly satellite photoreconnaissance. It was 29 years ago today that President Jimmy Carter, in a speech at the Kennedy Space Center, …

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

The Mexico Freedom of Information Program

Press release: “In celebration of International Right to Know Day the National Security Archive’s Mexico Project is launching a new Web site dedicated to its Transparency and Freedom of Information Program. The Web site features a new publication on the week-long media initiative Mexico Abierto, which launched its first edition during the week of March …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Internet

New First Amendment Center Report – The FCC's Regulation of Indecency

Press release: “A new First Report from the First Amendment Center examines the Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to regulate indecency on the air. The FCC’s Regulation of Indecency (115 pages, PDF), by Lili Levi, a law professor at the University of Miami School of Law, analyzes crucial cases involving broadcasts of speech or images deemed …

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

Senate Judiciary Hearing: Strengthening FISA: Does the Protect America Act Protect Americans' Civil Liberties and Enhance Security?

Hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on “Strengthening FISA: Does the Protect America Act Protect Americans’ Civil Liberties and Enhance Security?” Tuesday, September 25, 2007. [Link to witness statements] September 25, 2007: DNI Statement for the Record – Senate Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on FISA Related postings on FISA and Protect America Act

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

Pillars of the First Amendment: Foundation of the Constitution

U.S. Courts: “This package of First Amendment cases provides examples of the six pillars of the First Amendment considered the foundation of the Constitution. Each freedom – religion, speech, press, assembly, petition, and association – is illustrated by a high-profile case that has an impact on today’s teens. These cases are presented in a way …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research

Newsweek: Telecoms Seeking Bill Limiting Lawsuits for Surveillance Cooperation

Newsweek, Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, Sept. 20, 2007 – “The nation’s biggest telecommunications companies, working closely with the White House, have mounted a secretive lobbying campaign to get Congress to quickly approve a measure wiping out all private lawsuits against them for assisting the U.S. intelligence community’s warrantless surveillance programs. The campaign—which involves some …

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

Hearing on Warrantless Surveillance and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Warrantless Surveillance and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: The Role of Checks and Balances in Protecting Americans’ Privacy Rights (Part II). Statements of Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence and Kenneth Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, United States Department of Justice. LLRX.com: The Protect America Act and Legislation …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy