Last week, I reported on the U.S. Senate's renewal of the Voting Rights Act, FEMA's attempts to silence Katrina survivors, a new U.N. shadow report documenting major U.S. human rights violations against women, and seven other U.S. civil liberties stories that made headlines. Here come ten more...
1. Bush Administration Seeks Immunity from War Crimes Act
Bush administration officials, concerned that actions in violation of the War Crimes Act of 1996 may be discovered or prosecuted, are attempting to draft legislation that would protect them, and U.S. military personnel, from criminal prosecution.Bush Administration Seeks Shield from 1996 War Crimes Act (MSNBC/Washington Post)[/blockquote
2. Early Draft of Enemy Combatants Bill Allows Unlimited Military Detention
Those who have been following civil liberties issues connected to the War on Terror might still be wondering: Exactly who can be classiifed as an enemy combatant, anyway? Well, if the Bush administration's new draft legislation ever passes, the answer will be simple: Everybody.The Bush Administration Draft Hamdan Response Bill (Balkinization)
3. Congressional Research Office Condemns Pennsylvania Town's Anti-Latino Ordinance
The small Pennsylvania town of Hazleton, long a hotbed of anti-Latino racism, has passed a new ordinance criminalizing ordinary commercial transactions involving illegal immigrants. Because of the way the law is written, this constitutes a license to refuse to do business with any and all Latinos who don't carry their citizenship papers around with them--earning the ordinance a sharp condemnation from the Congressional Research Office.Report on Hazleton Ordinance (ImmigrationProf)[/blockquote
4. ACLU Report: U.S. Government Investigating Even More Political Protesters
The ACLU of Northern California has released a shocking report documenting massive federal surveillance of numerous lawful protest groups, including antiwar groups.New Report by ACLU of Northern California (ACLU)[/blockquote
5. U.S. Senate Restricts Teen Out-of-State Abortion Access
Both houses of Congress have now passed the so-called Child Custody Protection Act (as discussed last week--see item #7), which will be signed into law by President Bush. The Act bans relatives and other volunteers from helping teenagers get to out-of-state abortion clinics without parental permission--even if the parents are abusive, and even if the pregnancy is the result of incest.U.S. Republican Taliban Endangers Girls and Young Women (NOW)
6. Washington Supreme Court Rejects Gay Marriage Appeal
In a 5-4 ruling, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that state marriage laws, restricting marriage to heterosexual couples, are not discriminatory. As part of the otherwise pedestrian ruling, the Court also made the statement that marriage is not a fundamental human right---a claim that violates almost 40 years of Supreme Court precedents, dating back to Loving v. Virginia (1967).No Gay Marriage in Washington[/blockquote
7. U.S. House Bans Mass Confiscation of Legally Owned Firearms
Two weeks ago (see #7), I blogged on the U.S. Senate's vote to deny Homeland Security funds for raids of legal firearms. The U.S. House has gone even further, banning all law enforcement agencies from using emergency powers to mass confiscate legally-owned firearms, as was done in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.House Passes Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act (NRA)
8. House Committee to Consider Bill Punishing First Amendment Plaintiffs
The so-called Public Expression of Religion Act (H.R. 2679) is currently under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee. If passed, it would prohibit anyone who sues on the grounds of separation of church and state from being compensated for attorneys' fees--a measure intended to discourage citizens from challenging laws that violate the First Amendment."Mean-Spirited" Measure Seeks to Discourage Americans from Asserting Fundamental Religious Liberty Rights (Americans United)[/blockquote
9. Ohio Supreme Court Issues Landmark Property Rights Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's unpopular Kelo v. New London ruling, issued last year, drastically expanded government power to claim private property. This week, the Ohio Supreme Court attempted to roll back some of that power in a new ruling that sets firm restrictions on the "public use" standard.The Ohio Supreme Court's Decision in Norwood v. Horney (The Volokh Conspiracy)
10. SWAT Team Storms Gay Gym, Harasses and Threatens Patrons
This week, the SWAT team of Albuquerque, New Mexico rushed into a gay-owned gym, forced everyone to lie on the floor at gunpoint, took numerous photographs of patrons, made rather homophobic comments, and generally ruined what was shaping up to be a lovely evening. The charge? A technical liquor code violation--a matter not generally handled at gunpoint.Albuquerque SWAT Invades Gay Gym[/blockquote
