Top Features
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
Report from Peter Swire and Cassandra Butts addresses the challenges of identification and authentication in American society.Other Civil Rights, Liberties, and Justice Features
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.
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.
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.
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.
August 20, 2008
Victory in California
California Supreme Court rules doctors cannot discriminate against gays and lesbians in providing services.
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.
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.
June 25, 2008
Five Steps to Close Guantánamo
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
June 12, 2008
Supreme Court Strikes a Blow for Liberty
Today’s decision in Boumediene v. Bush has reaffirmed one of the most ancient rights known to our civilization, writes Mark Agrast.
June 4, 2008
Improving Identification and Authentication
A panel at CAP discusses a comprehensive approach for how the next administration should address issues of identification and authentication.
June 2, 2008
Identification and Authentication Resource Page
A resource page in connection with the Center for American Progress report "The ID Divide: Addressing the Problems of Identification and Authentication in American Society," by Peter P. Swire and Cassandra Q. Butts.
May 14, 2008
Voter ID by the Numbers
CAP takes a by the numbers look at just how costly voter ID laws are to our citizens and our democracy.
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 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.
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.
September 27, 2007
Site-Wide and Issue-Specific RSS Feeds