Illegal Detentions and Guantanamo
WAR UPDATE
Newsday, NY - Oct 29, 2008
A US military judge barred the Pentagon yesterday from using a Guantánamo prisoner's confession to Afghan authorities as trial evidence,

---

Guantanamo Alert 
Justices Reject Abuse of Power at Gitmo, ACLU Video for Grassroots Action, State Officials Seek Answers on Phone Spying 

The Supreme Court sent a sharp rebuke to the Bush administration for abuses of power at Guantánamo Bay, with a 5-3 ruling that the president's system of military commissions is unfair and illegal. Celebrating this victory for the rule of law, ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said, "The Supreme Court has made clear that the executive branch does not have a blank check in the war on terror and may not run roughshod over the nation's legal system."

The government's misuse of the military tribunals is just one in a series of abuses, abuses that include illegal NSA spying on Americans, secret CIA kidnappings and secret FBI demands for personal records from libraries and other institutions.

The ACLU and its supporters remain steadfast in our continuing work to remind our leaders and the public that our America is governed by a system of checks and balances, not by reckless policies that run roughshod over the Constitution and the law:

 

Today in Michigan ACLU lawyers will be in court arguing in ACLU v. NSA, our formal challenge to the administration's illegal spying program. A federal judge will hear arguments on whether the government's "state secrets" claim prevents judicial review of the NSA's program.

The ACLU contends that the Bush administration violated separation of powers principles by encroaching on Congress' power to regulate the president's authority to spy on Americans.

 

This week, thousands of concerned citizens will host Rendezvous for Our Rights parties across the country and screen our new video, Stop the Abuse of Power.

Screenings will be held throughout the summer. You can watch a trailer of the video here and find out how to host your own screening. Help us take this campaign to homes and neighborhoods throughout the nation.

 

In mid-May, 22 ACLU affiliates filed complaints to state public utility commissions asking them to investigate the role telecommunications companies are playing in assisting the National Security Agency in spying on Americans' phone calling patterns. As a result, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Delaware have had or plan to have public hearings on the issue. A full investigation into the telecom companies' involvement with the NSA has commenced in Vermont. And in Connecticut and Washington, Public Utility Commissions have reached out for public comment on whether and how they should proceed with an investigation. Thanks to this coordinated effort involving ACLU affiliates and members, telephone companies are feeling the pressure from coast-to-coast.