International Commission of Jurists

USA: A compromise reached on the Patriot Act

Feb 16, 2006

Amidst debate over the impact of the Patriot Act on civil liberties, both the House of Representatives and the Senate twice agreed to one-month extensions of the 16 provisions originally due to expire at the end of 2005. On 9 February, Republican Senators and the...

USA: Increased pressure over domestic warrantless surveillance

Feb 16, 2006

Following revelations that National Security Agency (NSA) have carried out domestic surveillance of foreign telephone calls without warrant, US human rights groups have filed lawsuits challenging the legality of the program. On 16 February, a federal judge ordered the...

USA: Trials by military commissions resume

Feb 16, 2006

On 11 January, military commissions resumed the trials of two Guantánamo detainees by Military Commissions. A constitutional challenge to the legality of such commissions is pending before the Supreme Court in the Hamdan case. On 20 January, the Pentagon announced it...

USA: Government seeks dismissal of pending Guantánamo cases

Feb 16, 2006

On 30 December 2005, President Bush signed the Detainee Treatment Act, which strictly limits the access of Guantánamo detainees to US federal courts. The Government then immediately filed motions to dismiss pending cases filed by Guantánamo detainees, arguing that the...
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