All the attacks on our Constitution, our Bill of Rights and our civil liberties by the Bush administration are reprehensible. The attack on the principal of habeas corpus stands out as particularly alarming because of its fundamental place in the constellation of civil liberties in our nation.
Senate Amendment 2022, also known as the Specter-Leahy Amendment, is now attached to the Defense Authorization Bill and will require a straight up or down vote on restoring Habeas Corpus this week. This amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 restores basic safeguards to roughly 12 million legal permanent residents of the United States.
This amendment is the original S185 , co-authored and co-signed by Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein.When the President signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, both he and the Congress effectively eliminated habeas rights for certain people and turned their backs on democratic values and the Constitution.
We now have a new Congress – one that is taking action to reverse the damage done by years of assaults on our civil liberties.
Please call Senators Boxer and Feinstein and thank them for co-sponsoring S185. Also, please make sure to encourage them to vote “YES” on amendment S.A. 2022 to the defense authorization bill:
Senator Barbara Boxer
Phone: 202-224-3553
Los Angeles: 213-894-5000
Contact via Webform
Senator Diane Feinstein
Phone: 202-224-3841
Los Angeles: 310-914-7300
Contact via Webform
With your help, we can work on fixing what the Bush administration has destroyed.