Commentary
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
Avoiding the Florida Nightmare in 2012
On Election Day 2000, tens of thousands of Floridians accidentally marked their ballots in ways that could not be read by the state’s voting machines. Their votes didn’t count. The identity of our next president hung in the balance for 36 days.
Authored by: Sundeep Iyer and Lawrence Norden
– 12/20/11
The Other 5 Million
The right to vote is one of our most fundamental rights. In recent weeks, the national news media has focused significant attention on the swath of restrictive voting laws that several states have enacted this year, zeroing in on a particularly alarming statistic: namely, the 5 million eligible voters whose access to the polls has been undermined by these new restrictions on the franchise.
Authored by: Nicole Austin-Hillery and Nic Riley
– 12/16/11
Campaign Cash Finds Its Way to the Courtroom
Outside the realm of presidential politics there is a looming — and very serious — threat to our justice system. Despite all the attention focused on money in politics, few Americans know how much campaign cash is pouring into courts of law, and how it threatens to undermine equal justice for all.
Authored by: Adam Skaggs and Bert Brandenburg
– 12/14/11
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
A Call to Abolish the FEC
The federal commission has failed at the task of enforcing campaign finance rules and should be replaced.
Authored by: Adam Skaggs
– 12/01/11
Poll Watchers Need to Respect Voters’ Rights
It has been a long time since voters were legally turned away from the polls in Texas because they were too poor to vote. Sadly, however, that hasn't stopped the King Street Patriots, a Houston-area political organization, from hosting a public discussion about whether existing laws make it too easy for poor people to participate in elections.
Authored by: Nic Riley and Tamara Marshall
– 11/28/11
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
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