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Issues Domestic Civil Rights, Liberties, and Justice

Civil Rights, Liberties, and Justice

Top Features

How to Close Guantanamo

How to Close Guantanamo

Ken Gude outlines a five phase plan for closing Guantánamo safely and in a way that reinforces American values and the rule of law.
The ID Divide

The ID Divide

Report from Peter Swire and Cassandra Butts addresses the challenges of identification and authentication in American society.

Other Civil Rights, Liberties, and Justice Features

July 1, 2009

Poverty in the LGBT Community

The expansion of civil rights and protections for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people will promote social equality and economic prosperity. By Nico Sifra Quintana
June 24, 2009

Ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Practical steps to repeal the ban on openly gay men and women in the U.S. military from Lawrence J. Korb, Sean Duggan, and Laura Conley. By Lawrence J. Korb, Sean Duggan, Laura Conley
June 22, 2009

Ask the Expert: Putting an End to "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Lawrence J. Korb discusses why President Obama and Congress need to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and how they can accomplish it successfully. By Lawrence J. Korb
June 17, 2009

Moving Toward Equality for Federal Employees

Statement from Winnie Stachelberg applauds the Obama administration's first steps on domestic partner benefits and offers suggestions on ways forward. By Winnie Stachelberg
June 8, 2009

Religious Voices Are Critical for the Advancement of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Equality

Last week CAP and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released two groundbreaking reports on marriage-equality ballot initiatives in California and Michigan.
June 4, 2009

The Faithful Divide Over Wedding Vows

A report by Jonathan Duffy and Sally Steenland explores the strategies for Proposal 2 in Michigan, a state constitutional amendment that prohibited same-sex marriage. By Jonathan Duffy, Sally Steenland
May 29, 2009

Obama's Right to Detain

Civil rights groups say the United States must charge or release Guantánamo detainees. But Obama has a third choice, explains Ken Gude. By Ken Gude
May 26, 2009

Sonia Sotomayor: A Quality Nomination

The first Hispanic nominee to the Supreme Court can deliver on President Obama’s promise to bring more diversity and excellence to the high court, writes Vanessa Cardenas. By Vanessa Cárdenas
May 26, 2009

California Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 8

Winnie Stachelberg weighs in on the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ballot initiative, which bans same-sex unions in the state. By Winnie Stachelberg
May 14, 2009

Torture or Not, It’s Illegal and Wrong

Debating whether harsh interrogation tactics used by the United States were torture or not misses the point that they're still illegal, writes William F. Schulz. By William F. Schulz
May 5, 2009

Supreme Court Rules that Immigrants Have Rights, Too

An identity theft law inappropriately used to punish immigrants is removed from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arsenal, writes Henry Fernandez. By Henry Fernandez
May 4, 2009

Obama Can't Turn the Page on Torture

We need a non-partisan investigation into America's use of torture. Otherwise, it will continue to haunt us, writes Ken Gude on The Guardian's "Comment Is Free" blog. By Ken Gude
April 28, 2009

Standing Together Against Hate

Lawmakers are finally poised to stand by the GLBT community this week by passing legislation to add sexual orientation to hate crime protections, write Mark Shields and Winnie Stachelberg. By Mark Shields, Winnie Stachelberg
April 28, 2009

Bush Administration Got the Guantanamo it Wanted

Ken Gude writes about Karen Greenberg's The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo's First 100 Days for the TPMCafe Book Club. By Ken Gude
April 17, 2009

Obama Shows Leadership on Torture Memos

Yesterday President Obama exercised good judgment and responsible leadership when he released Bush-era memos providing legal justification for certain types of torture, writes Ken Gude. By Ken Gude
April 14, 2009

Four Things You Didn’t Know About God and Same-Sex Marriage

Christians who oppose same-sex marriage say it goes against the biblical conception of marriage and sexuality, but they're wrong.
March 26, 2009

Steps Toward Equality

John Berry's confirmation for director of the Office of Personnel Management could lead to a more open and tolerant federal workplace, write Winnie Stachelberg and Josh Rosenthal. By Winnie Stachelberg, Josh Rosenthal
March 26, 2009

Keeping Americans Safe from Faulty Medical Devices

A panel of experts joins CAP to discuss the short documentary “Hit and Run” and the issue of preemption in protecting consumers from unsafe drugs and medical devices.
March 14, 2009

'Enemy combatants' no more

Late Friday, the Obama administration took another step toward following through on its intention to significantly change US detention policy by dropping the Bush administration's favoured description of the Guantánamo detainees as "enemy combatants". What follows in a filing in US district court, however, is disappointingly similar to the Bush administration's assertion of detention authority. By Ken Gude
March 6, 2009

Weekly Round Up: March 2 - 6, 2009

CAP provided analysis of equal rights events this week, produced an interactive map of air strikes in Pakistan, and continued its analysis of the recession.
March 3, 2009

Expressing Faith Through Marriage Equality

Progressive religious leaders should be a strong voice in the fight for marriage equality, writes Sarah Dreier. Opportunities to do so abound this week. By Sarah Dreier
March 3, 2009

Benefits Denied

After paying into the system their whole lives, married same-sex couples will be denied thousands of dollars in Social Security benefits, write Ben Furnas and Josh Rosenthal. By Ben Furnas, Josh Rosenthal
March 2, 2009

The Costs of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The military’s outdated policy excludes qualified service members and cost taxpayers millions of dollars, while public opinion now supports repealing the policy. By Lawrence J. Korb
February 26, 2009

Think Again: Thank God for Gitmo!

The punditocracy's attacks on Obama for the decision to close Guantanamo deserve close scrutiny, write Eric Alterman and Danielle Ivory. By Eric Alterman, Danielle Ivory
February 24, 2009

Ask the Expert: Three Types of Challenges at Guantánamo

Ken Gude discusses the hurdles that the Obama administration will face as it move along the process of closing Guantánamo by January 2010. By Ken Gude
February 5, 2009

Guantánamo's Secrets

The United States' hostility toward publishing details of Binyam Mohamed's treatment suggests that the stakes are higher than we may realize. By Ken Gude
January 22, 2009

Closing Guantanamo, Restoring American Values

President Obama’s decision to close Guantanamo and the secret CIA prisons shows the world the the United States is back and ready to lead. By Ken Gude
January 16, 2009

The State of Minorities: The Recession Issue

The recession has hit minorities especially hard, write Amanda Logan and Christian Weller. By Amanda Logan, Christian E. Weller
January 13, 2009

The First Step Toward Closing Guantánamo

Announcing the closure of Guantánamo and establishing a process to empty the prison is just a first step, but it's the right first step, writes Ken Gude. By Ken Gude
January 12, 2009

Gitmo: No More

By ordering the closure of Guantanamo as one of his first acts, Obama will show leadership and signal real change. By Ken Gude
January 6, 2009

Closing Guantánamo 101

Why we need to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay and six steps to get there.
December 9, 2008

Equal Benefits for Women

The Supreme Court this week will hear arguments on whether women should retroactively receive retirement benefits for pregnancy leave, write Alexandra Cawthorne and Stephanie Gross. By Alexandra Cawthorne, Stephanie Gross
December 8, 2008

Stop this Fiasco

Ken Gude on why the U.S. secretary of defesce must close down the Guantánamo military commissions before any more damage is done. By Ken Gude
December 1, 2008

Scholars’ Statement of Principles for the New President on U.S. Detention Policy

A statement from several prominent scholars on principles for the new president and Congress on U.S. detention policies. By Catherine Powell
November 24, 2008

“Milk” Celebrates Life of Gay Activist

Harvey Milk's fight resonates today as gay activists fight against the passage of Proposition 8 in California. By Anne Shoup
October 7, 2008

Prisoners of Cowardice

Yesterday's ruling by a U.S. District Court judge in Washington ordering 17 Uighurs released into the United States on Friday brings us one step closer to righting one of the most egregious wrongs in the catalogue of injustices at Guantanamo. As long ago as 2003, the U.S. government accepted the plain truth that these detainees are not enemies of the United States, but they have remained prisoners of cowardice, locked up for years because the Bush administration lacked the courage to bring this tragedy to an end. By Ken Gude
September 23, 2008

One Simple Step for Equality

States prove that the federal government can offer domestic partner benefits with ease, write Winnie Stachelberg, Josh Rosenthal, and Claire Stein-Ross. By Winnie Stachelberg, Josh Rosenthal, Claire Stein-Ross
September 16, 2008

Recommitting to the Rule of Law

CAPAF's Mark Agrast testifies to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution about how to restore the rule of law after eight years of the Bush administration. By Mark Agrast
September 16, 2008

Too Much Secrecy Puts Our Nation at Risk

CAPAF's John D. Podesta outlines to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution key recommendations for restoring the rule of law. By John Podesta
August 20, 2008

Victory in California

California Supreme Court rules doctors cannot discriminate against gays and lesbians in providing services. By Jessica Arons, Stephanie Gross
August 4, 2008

Have We Come a Long Way Baby?

Forty-five years after John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, women still lag behind men in wages earned.
July 9, 2008

Racial Profiling and Genetic Privacy

Report examines the question of how we reconcile our desire for excellent police work with maintaining criminal investigation protocols that respect the rights of citizens. By Michael Boylan
July 8, 2008

Killing Itself for the Right to Discriminate

The Boy Scouts' wrong-headed and relentless fight to keep gays out of scouting has devastated the once-inspiring organization, writes Henry Fernandez. By Henry Fernandez
June 25, 2008

Five Steps to Close Guantanamo

After more than six years of constant controversy, it really does look as if Guantánamo's days as a prison camp are numbered. The Supreme Court's recent decision in Boumediene v Bush further narrowed any legal distinction between holding the detainees at Guantánamo or within the territorial boundaries of the United States. That—combined with both presidential candidates' pledge to close Guantánamo—means we can now definitively say we have reached the beginning of the end. By Ken Gude
June 25, 2008

A Return to Fairness

Ken Gude on what the Supreme Court's recent decision means for detainees at Guantánamo, whether this means more lenient treatment for terrorists, and what we still need to do to restore the rule of law. By Ken Gude
June 20, 2008

Unwarranted: New Domestic Spying Legislation Fails to Restore Judicial Safeguards

Congressional compromise will lead to the enactment of a flawed bill that fails to protect American liberties, writes Mark Agrast. By Mark Agrast
June 18, 2008

La Guerra de los “IDs”: ¿Cuenta Usted con el Suyo?

Los proponentes de REAL ID y de otras legislaciones similares a nivel local buscan establecer sistemas de identificación más estrictos, principalmente para luchar contra el terrorismo y limitar la inmigración. Hay otros que desconfían de programas que requieren comprobantes de identificación por motivos de seguridad, privacidad y de libertades civiles. Unos 20 millones de ciudadanos con edad para votar en nuestro país en los actuales momentos no cuentan con licencias para conducir. Y las minorías se encuentran en especial riesgo de ser despojados de sus derechos mediante estas propuestas. By Vanessa Cárdenas
June 18, 2008

Protecting Personal Information: Is the Federal Government Doing Enough?

Peter Swire testifies to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on how the government can best protect personal information. By Peter Swire
June 18, 2008

The ID War: Do You Have Yours?

We need to make sure that we establish due diligence when creating ID laws so that all people are treated fairly and equally, writes Vanessa Cárdenas. Léalo en español By Vanessa Cárdenas
June 12, 2008

Guantanamo Justice

Today's landmark US Supreme Court decision has settled once and for all that the ancient right of habeas corpus extends to the detainees of Guantanamo Bay. Habeas corpus grants every individual in the custody of the US government the right to challenge the basis for their detention in a court of law. By so limiting the power of the executive, it is the fundamental principle that goes so deeply to the heart of our system of government: it defines the distinction between dictatorship and the rule of law. By Ken Gude

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CAP’s policy priorities for U.S. domestic policymaking center on building opportunities for all Americans to share in the American Dream. Our policy work concentrates on the core engines that drive equal opportunity and shared prosperity—education, health care, government oversight, poverty, women's rights. Our progressive domestic priorities underscore our commitment to government that works for the common good.