Civil Liberties

5 Steps for President and 111th Congress
To Restore Human and Civil Liberties

1. Ban Torture. Issue an executive order banning all forms of torture and require all U.S. agencies and entities to abide by the Geneva conventions. Find out more.

2. Restore Habeas Corpus. Restore this writ for all prisoners held by the United States, ensuring that no person is unlawfully and indefinitely detained, including so-called “enemy combatants.”

3. Repeal the Military Commissions Act. Repeal an unlawful act which enables the president to name enemy combatants, abandon habeas corpus, provide immunity for Geneva Convention violators, and establish flawed military commissions.

4. Stop Immigration Raids. Place a moratorium on all raids that is effective immediately. These raids separate families, create distrust and fear among all community members, and do nothing to fix the broken immigration system in the United States.

5. End Unconstitutional Government Spying. Restore protections from governmental spying and the judicial review of searches and seizures of private communications.

Government Spying: Senate Erodes Civil Liberties

On July 9, the Senate voted 69-28 to approve legislation that allows the federal government to collect and screen phone calls and email messages that it "reasonably believes" include a party outside the United States.

The bill, H.R. 6034, also virtually guarantees immunity for telecommunications companies that are alleged to have broken the law at the White House's request.

FCNL is greatly disappointed in this vote and in the erosion of civil liberties that Congress continues to allow in the name of enhanced security.

Find out how your senators voted, then enter you zip code to contact them about the vote.

The House passed this legislation June 20. See how your representative voted.