Help Restore Habeas Corpus

The Un-American Military Commissions Act needs to be fixed because it:

• Allows the president alone to decide who is and who is not an enemy of this country.
• Eliminates the Constitution’s due process right to habeas corpus for people the president decides are enemies of our country, and permits the government to keep hundreds of detainees imprisoned indefinitely and without charge.
• Lets the president make up his own rules on what is torture and abuse, instead of simply following the rules in the Geneva Conventions; and
• Removes accountability for top government officials, which means that we can’t know that torture and abuse has stopped and won’t happen again.

A critical first step to fixing the Military Commissions Act is restoring habeas corpus. There is legislation to restore habeas corpus pending in the Senate, which is why we urge you to contact your senator today on the the "Habeas Corpus Restoration Act."

With continued pressure, Congress will ultimately support comprehensive efforts, like S. 576, the “Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007,” which restores the Constitution and the basic American value of due process to detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, and makes clear the federal government must comply with the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions.



For more information on S. 185, the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.00185:
For more information on S. 576, the Rstoring the Constitution Act link, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.00576:

Please, call your senator today and urge them to restore habeas corpus.

It's indeed curious that we have to fight to pass legislation to "restore" something that is engrained within the Constitution and is seen as an inalienable right.

Look at the sponsor of the bill...

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-185

S. 185: A bill to restore habeas corpus for those detained by the United States
Go to... Bill Status Floor Speeches Other Info

Status: Introduced

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills go first to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise bills before they go to general debate. The majority of bills never make it out of committee.

Bill Overview

Sponsor: Sen. Arlen Specter [R-PA]

Cosponsors

Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]

Last Action: Jan 4, 2007: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Full Text: View Full Text of Bill

Committee Assignments

This bill is in the first stage of the legislative process where the bill is considered in committee and may undergo significant changes in markup sessions. The bill has been referred to the following committees:

Senate Judiciary

need to get rid of the patriot act as a whole

toss the whole thing out

and start again, first applying the constitution to every single item in a new bill

there is nothing in the patriot act that makes me feel safer