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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: civil liberties

civil liberties stories: 16 news summaries

 Loose FBI Rules 
 Raise Privacy Fears 

People are unfairly targeted, complain Muslim groups

Oct 29, 09 2:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - The FBI has been given far too much leeway to gather information on individuals and groups, charge Muslim and civil liberties organizations. Guidelines in a newly disclosed FBI manual allow the bureau to probe people or organizations without any factual evidence against them. Agents are given broad powers to proactively... More »

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FBI • privacy • ACLU • domestic intelligence • Islamic extremists • domestic surveillance • civil liberties • Muslim-Americans

(Newser) - The ACLU is threatening to sue a California school district that restricted access to a 12-year-old’s report on gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. When the school learned of the subject, it delayed the presentation and sent letters to parents requiring permission slips for their children... More »

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gay rights • California • ACLU • San Diego • civil liberties • school districts • Harvey Milk • presentation

Obama Meets With Human- Rights Leaders

Under fire for recent moves, holds 'probing' pre-speech discussion

May 21, 09 10:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dogged by criticism over recent decisions, President Obama invited a crew of human-rights and civil-liberties leaders and academics to discuss Guantanamo, tribunals, and transparency ahead of today’s speech on similar themes, the Huffington Post reports. Obama said he was unhappy with Congress’ denial of funds to close Gitmo and... More »

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Barack Obama • military tribunal • human rights • Guantanamo Bay • civil liberties • academics • human rights activists • transparency • President Obama • meeting • torture photos

US Judge Busts Muslim Woman for Wearing Hijab

She's held in contempt for refusing to remove head covering

Dec 17, 08 3:07 AM CST
(Newser) - A Muslim woman was briefly jailed by a Georgia judge for refusing to take off her head-covering hijab in court, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The woman was arrested for contempt, and ordered held for 10 days—but was released after several hours. She had been in court with her nephew,... More »

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contempt of court • civil liberties • American Muslims • hijabs • Lisa Valentine • Sabreen Abdul Rahman • Douglasville, Georgia • Council on American-Islamic Relations • religious attire

OPINION

 The Bush Era: 
 An 'American Fiasco' 

Columnist rips into the White House's 'all-time loser' on election eve

Nov 3, 08 11:38 AM CST
(Newser) - In the waning days of the Bush administration, Simon Schama wonders how the president is handling his role as the “all-time loser in presidential history.” “If the Statue of Liberty were alive,” Schama writes in the Guardian, “she would be weeping tears of blood” over... More »

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presidency • Bush legacy • history • civil liberties • Iraq war • economy • George W. Bush • financial crisis

Police May Take Bigger Role in Intelligence

Critics fear Justice Dept. plan would infringe on civil liberties

Aug 16, 08 5:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Justice Department has proposed expanding the ability of state and local police to gather intelligence on Americans, share it with federal officials, and hold onto it for a decade, the Washington Post reports. Supporters of the move say authorities would keep a close eye on the new practices to... More »

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national security • terrorism • police • domestic intelligence • state police • civil liberties

(Newser) - Anti-terrorism measures planned for New York City have civil liberties groups worried, the Guardian of London reports. Operation Sentinel calls for cameras to be placed at every bridge and tunnel into Manhattan to photograph every vehicle entering and leaving. Details would then be kept on a huge city database. More »

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NYPD • New York City • New York • Manhattan • Ground Zero • privacy • counterterrorism • civil liberties • security cameras

OPINION

Hard-Core Supply-Sider:
I'm Voting for the Democrat

Former Chamber of Commerce honcho has had enough foreign policy disaster

Jul 17, 08 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Being a Reagan, Gingrich and Dole soldier won’t stop former Chamber of Commerce honcho Larry Hunter from voting for Barack Obama this fall, he writes in the New York Daily News. It doesn’t matter that he wholly disagrees with the Dem on every point of domestic policy; the... More »

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Barack Obama • John McCain • Newt Gingrich • Ronald Reagan • Bob Dole • civil liberties • free markets • Iraq war

Surveillance Law Gives Sweden Broad Powers

No warrant needed for cross-border phone, e-traffic; foes outraged

Jun 19, 08 3:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sweden's intelligence service will have broad new powers to intercept cross-border calls and emails, without a warrant, under a law passed yesterday, the BBC reports. Critics, meanwhile, say it is impossible to fully distinguish domestic from international traffic without compromising the transmissions. Protesters handed out copies of George Orwell's 1984... More »

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European Union • privacy • Sweden • civil liberties • warrantless wiretapping • domestic wiretapping

Judge Orders CIA to Release 'Torture' Memo

Key document said to outline waterboarding techniques

May 9, 08 6:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - A federal judge has ordered the CIA to release a 2002 memo believed to outline interrogation methods that may amount to torture. The ACLU, which brought the suit sparking the order, claims that the memo details harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, and calls it "one of the most important... More »

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CIA • torture • ACLU • civil liberties • waterboarding • interrogation techniques • harsh interrogation • torture memo

 Obama Donor
 List Is 'Gigantic'  

Database could make him power broker for decades

Apr 28, 08 8:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama’s massive donor and networking list—stuffed with data on 2 million people—will make him a major power broker even if his campaign falters, Bloomberg reports. Unlike past hopefuls, Obama has inspired donors to reveal addresses, phone numbers, and even views on specific issues. "It's gigantic,... More »

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Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • John McCain • Facebook • database • civil liberties • political donors

US Plans to Widen DNA Database

Will take samples from illegal immigrants, felony arrestees

Apr 16, 08 9:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US plans to significantly widen its law-enforcement database by taking DNA samples from illegal immigrants picked up by federal authorities and from all people arrested for federal offenses, the Washington Post reports. The feds currently collect genetic information only from those convicted of federal crimes. The expanded policy follows... More »

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FBI • crime • DNA • ACLU • felony • US government • arrest • illegal immigration • DNA database • civil liberties • DNA evidence

Schools Squeeze Out Hugs

Double detention
for Illinois girl
a sign of the times

Nov 15, 07 9:06 AM CST
(Newser) - An eighth-grade student’s double detention for hugging friends at school has sparked a national debate. Rules concerning public displays of affection in school have surged over the last two decades, reports Time magazine, but there is little consensus about how far they should go in governing student behavior. Some... More »

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lawsuit • hugging • civil liberties • public displays of affection

Dodd Fights to Redeem Dad

Father's letters illuminate Nuremberg prosecutor turned disgraced US senator

Sep 24, 07 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Chris Dodd is not only running for president, he's on a mission to fix his father's reputation. Dodd's late father, Thomas, also a US senator, was censured in 1967 for making personal use of campaign funds. Years earlier, he made his name at the Nuremberg trials, and his son's new... More »

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Senate • Nazi • Chris Dodd • civil liberties • Thomas Dodd • Nuremberg trials • censure • reputation

Bush's AG Pick Has History With Terror Trials

Blind sheik case gave preview of security issues facing Mukasey

Sep 20, 07 2:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Before America was paying attention, Judge Michael Mukasey tried a landmark terrorism case. The 1995-96 trial of blind sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted with nine others of plotting a massive "day of terror" at three New York sites, forced Mukasey, now President Bush's nominee for US attorney general, to... More »

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terrorism • law • courts • Michael Mukasey • civil liberties • George W. Bush

Judge: Parts of Patriot Act Unconstitutional

Revised legislation violates separation of powers, 1st Amendment

Sep 6, 07 4:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Patriot Act violates the Constitution by allowing unreasonable searches and seizures, violating separation of powers, and denying free speech, a federal judge ruled today in striking down parts of the revised legislation. Judge Victor Marrero said investigators must obtain court approval before ordering ISPs and phone companies to turn... More »

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Congress • FBI • privacy • ACLU • Patriot Act • US Constitution • civil liberties • search and seizure • constitutional law

16 Stories


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