Analysis & Commentary
Liberty & National Security
The NYPD Needs Policing
The Police Department has the formidable responsibility of keeping New Yorkers safe from a terrorist attack. It is entrusted with significant powers and broad discretion in how to use them. It has done an admirable job in preventing violence. But last week, we were reminded that no government entity with such powers should operate free from independent oversight.
Authored by: Faiza Patel and Elizabeth Goitein
– 01/30/12
RIP: “Live Free or Die”
The GOP candidates in New Hampshire seem to have forgotten the state's motto.
Authored by: Elizabeth Goitein
– 01/09/12
President Obama: It’s Not Too Late to Reject Bad Detainee Law
Congress enacted legislation intended to militarize the handling of terrorist suspects and limit the president’s options for prosecuting or releasing them. The bill represents a major setback for both human rights and national security, and President Obama should veto it.
Authored by: Elizabeth Goitein
– 12/20/11
Bradley Manning Didn’t Break the Secrecy System
It was already broken but the WikiLeaks suspect is the only person held accountable.
Authored by: Elizabeth Goitein
– 12/13/11
America’s Unnecessary Secrets
The danger of excessive government secrecy is a lesson we should have learned over the last decade. Although the proper classification of information is vital to keeping the nation safe, “overclassification,” as the 9/11 Commission found, jeopardizes national security by inhibiting information sharing within the federal government and with state and local agencies.
Authored by: Elizabeth Goitein and J. William Leonard
– 11/07/11
Supreme Court Preview, Second Session: Access to Justice, National Security, and Civil Liberties
In advance of the second session of the Supreme Court's 2011 term, the Brennan Center calls attention to five cases involving important issues of access to justice, national security, and civil liberties.
Authored by: Sidney S. Rosdeitcher and William J. Taylor, Jr.
– 10/26/11
When Did It Become Legal to Spy on Americans?
Congress and the public should demand more oversight of changing FBI rules on domestic surveillance.
Authored by: Emily Berman
– 10/26/11
NYPD Goes Too Far in Monitoring Muslims
The NYPD has done a tremendous job keeping us safe in the decade since 9/11. But recent reports call into question some of the tactics it may use - tactics that may pose a risk to both our safety and our right to live free of undue government scrutiny.
Authored by: Faiza Patel
– 10/14/11
Unchecked NYPD Operations In Need Of Oversight
An Associated Press investigation uncovered numerous examples of racial profiling by the NYPD. The City Council should immediately undertake a full, public accounting of the NYPD’s intelligence activities and set up a system for ongoing oversight of these activities.
Authored by: Faiza Patel and Michael Price
– 10/06/11
They Have Undermined Our Historical Commitment to Human Rights
The "war on terror" has brought fundamental changes to America's place in the world, our international priorities and our system of laws. Although people may disagree about whether the past decade's changes have made us safer, there is no doubt they have undermined our historical commitment to human rights.
Authored by: Faiza Patel
– 09/05/11