Top Features
The Erosion of Rights
New Report from the Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights and CAP details the erosion of civil rights enforcement under the Bush administration.Other Civil Rights, Liberties, and Justice Features
May 6, 2008
The ID Divide
The recent Supreme Court ruling requiring voter ID in Indiana threatens voter disenfranchisement and highlights the growing “ID divide” in American society, write Cassandra Butts and Peter Swire.
May 1, 2008
Conmemorando las Marchas de los Inmigrantes del 1 de Mayo
Los eventos de hoy apoyando los derechos civiles de los inmigrantes reviven el dolor y enojo que los provocó, escribe Vanessa Cárdenas.
May 1, 2008
Commemorating Today’s May 1 Immigrant Marches
Today’s nationwide series of marches in support of immigrants’ civil rights recalls the pain and anger that prompted them in the first place, writes Vanessa Cardenas.
April 29, 2008
The Right Way to Pressure Beijing
When the U.S. Congress recently passed a resolution calling on Beijing to end its repression of dissent in Tibet and open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, a Chinese spokesperson declared that the resolution had “seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.” Nor was this the first time the Chinese had expressed emotional distress at some political gesture. Everyone from the Icelandic singer Björk, who shouted “Tibet! Tibet!” at the end of a concert in Shanghai, to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who met with the Dalai Lama in Ottawa, has been accused of hurting the feelings of the Chinese. Indeed, the Chinese might be the only people who regard the rantings of CNN’s Jack Cafferty, who referred to the Chinese government as “goons and thugs,” as worth taking seriously. Nerves this sensitive bespeak either a severe case of adolescent angst or a revealing insight into national character, or both. It is hard to imagine Vladimir Putin or Robert Mugabe, or George W. Bush for that matter, confessing to having hurt feelings about anything, much less the kind of symbolic ephemera that seem to regularly rile the Chinese.
April 28, 2008
Disenfranchising American Voters
The decision to uphold an Indiana law requiring photo ID to vote disenfranchises those that need access the most: the poor and minorities.
April 19, 2008
Tortured Explanations
Torture Team shows that those who drew up the United States' post-9/11 policy on interrogation were woefully inexperienced and badly advised.
April 10, 2008
Online Behavioral Advertising: Technical Steps Needed to Ensure Consumer Control
Peter Swire and Annie Anton outline principles for protecting privacy in online advertising in FTC testimony.
April 7, 2008
This Week in Congress 4.7.08 - 4.11.08
CAP prepares you for testimony from Petraeus and Crocker, the Senate housing package, and international trade and the farm bill.
April 2, 2008
Real Problems with the REAL ID
Before the REAL ID Act is implemented, Secretary Chertoff and Congress need to address serious concerns about privacy and civil liberties.
March 14, 2008
Endgame
Mark Agrast writes that House leaders have proposed a responsible compromise on intelligence surveillance. Again.
March 13, 2008
Think Again: Catch-22 Revisited: The Bush Administration and the Public’s “Right to Know”
While primaries and scandals distract the media, the Bush administration's defense of torture doesn't get the attention it deserves.
February 28, 2008
Interactive Map: The Latino Vote in 2008
The growing Latino population will play a key role in the upcoming election.
February 7, 2008
Issue Pulse: Waterboarding Is Torture
The White House said yesterday that waterboarding is legal, but the expert consensus indicates otherwise.
February 1, 2008
Privacy Key to Yahoo Merger; Microsoft Bid Must Ensure Safeguards
Antitrust review of proposed $44.6 billion merger requires close examination of the privacy of search, argues Peter Swire.
January 30, 2008
Shutter This Death Trap
January 28, 2008
The State of Latinos in the Union
A by the numbers look at the disproportionate setbacks that Latinos have faced during the Bush White House’s tenure.
January 24, 2008
New Regulations Fail to Address Security, Privacy
New ID regulations will change driver’s licenses while putting millions of Americans’ personal information at risk.
January 9, 2008
Supreme Court Takes on Voter ID Laws
The Court today considers a voter ID law that disproportionately affects minorities, the poor, and the elderly and causes disenfranchisement.
January 4, 2008
Heeding Roberts’ Call: Chief Justice Calls for Judicial Pay Reform
Federal judges’ pay is alarmingly inadequate and hampering the judicial branch’s ability to attract the best and most diverse pool of judges.
December 13, 2007
Ending Torture: CIA Tapes Spur House Action
The House of Representatives passes comprehensive torture ban after CIA tape scandal. The Senate must follow swiftly, writes Mark Agrast.
December 5, 2007
Return to a Proven Path: Established Systems Can Handle Terrorists
Hoffman and Gude argue that the criminal justice system can be used to try terrorists without undermining liberties or efforts to combat terrorism.
December 3, 2007
Taking on Hate Crimes
Measure under consideration in Congress, and under fire from President Bush, would make a long-needed update to federal hate crime law.
December 3, 2007
Unequal Taxes on Equal Benefits
Workers who have an unmarried domestic partner are taxed doubly on employer-provided health coverage. A new CAP report offers a solution.
October 31, 2007
Not the Right Choice
Mark Agrast on why Mukasey is not the right choice for attorney general.
October 31, 2007
Safeguarding Liberty and Security Under FISA
Morton Halperin testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee about what procedures should be put in place to make transparent the rules of FISA.
October 22, 2007
One Inch at a Time
Winnie Stachelberg emphasizes the precedents for moving forward on, and building from, change. Even if compromising isn’t the perfect solution.
October 15, 2007
Pursuing the Global Common Good
When is war justified? Is the use of torture ever acceptable? These are some of the issues in a new book by policy experts and faith leaders, published by the Center for American Progress.
October 10, 2007
Restoring Our Liberties: New Surveillance Bill Would Begin to Restore Checks and Balances
Mark D. Agrast details why new surveillance legislation on Capitol Hill would better protect both civil liberties and national security.
October 1, 2007
The Roberts Four: Men on a Mission
As a new Supreme Court term opens, a core of four hard-line conservative justices are eager to implement a plan for radically remaking the Court.
October 1, 2007
The Roberts Court Round Three: What to Look For
As a new Supreme Court term opens, a core of four hard-line conservative justices are eager to implement a plan for radically remaking the court.
September 27, 2007
Think Again: Jena, Finally
If Jena has shown one thing it’s that not only will racism continue on, but some in the mainstream media will always ignore or encourage it.
September 17, 2007
Evaluating Bush's Pick for Attorney General
Mark Agrast argues that the Senate must carefully consider whether Bush's pick for attorney general will restore integrity to the Justice Department.
August 27, 2007
The Department of Justice and the American People Deserve a Break
Mark Agrast on why we need more than just a change in leadership to repair the damage done during Gonzales' tenure.
August 16, 2007
Think Again: FISA and the Founders
Congress’ passage of a new FISA law once again raises the question of whether democracies can “do” foreign policy patiently and competently.
August 7, 2007
Europe Confronts Islam
Reluctance to embrace the Muslim community in Western Europe threatens to alienate people who are key to curbing future terrorist attacks.
July 30, 2007
Signing Off On Discrimination
Bush brazenly misinterprets a measure to amend an important anti-discrimination measure in a statement threatening to veto the bill.
July 23, 2007
This Week in Congress: 7.23.07 – 7.27.07
From appropriations bills to the Farm Bill, CAP provides you with resources to stay on top of the week in Congress.
July 17, 2007
The Voting Section’s Ethical Cloud
A congressional hearing today will probe abuses in the Justice Department’s Voting section detailed in CAP and CCCR’s "Erosion of Rights" report.
July 12, 2007
Think Again: The Pure Politics of “Privilege”
The Wall Street Journal's editorial page predictably fails to acknowledge legal wrongdoings of a presidency that practically beg for investigation.
July 11, 2007
Inaction Begets Reaction: Stalled Immigration Reform Sparks Problems
After comprehensive immigration reform stalled, local authorities less able to deal with the issue step into the breach, writes Henry Fernandez.
July 11, 2007
Closing the Ledbetter Loophole
Soon after the Supreme Court's rollback of a workplace anti-discrimination law, Congress considers a measure to ensure equal treatment.
July 9, 2007
This Week in Congress: 7.9.07 - 7.13.07
From Iraq to children’s health care to housing, CAP provides you with resources to stay on top of the week on the Hill.
July 5, 2007
Think Again: Lies, Justice, and the Punditocracy's "Place"
Libby’s commuted sentence makes you wonder what happened to the days when lying under oath was the worst thing in the world.
July 5, 2007
Public Wants to Safeguard Civil Liberties
Recent bomb scares are bringing questions of terrorism back to the fore, but the public doesn’t think we need to sacrifice our civil liberties to stay safe.
June 28, 2007
The Politicization of the Supreme Court
Justices Roberts and Alito have run roughshod over critical rule of law principles that limit the role of politics in judicial decision-making.
June 28, 2007
The Court’s Forgotten Promises
Court rulings are a step backwards from Brown v. Board of Education and report shows that it could be a severe blow to our educational system.
June 27, 2007
Talking Points: Roberts and Alito
John Roberts and Samuel Alito have joined with the Supreme Court's conservatives to form a solid bloc of votes for the Bush political agenda.
June 27, 2007
Supreme Court Decisions in Peril
This term the Supreme Court’s new majority limited or expressly overruled key decisions protecting reproductive freedom, religious freedom, and more.
June 27, 2007
In Their Own Words: Roberts and Alito
Roberts and Alito pursued political agendas over the Supreme Court's last term. They promised otherwise at their confirmation hearings.
June 26, 2007