Linked with The American Civil Liberties Union ACLU.
Gregory T. Nojeim is a Senior Counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Director of its Project on Freedom, Security & Technology. CDT is a Washington-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. In this capacity, Mr. Nojeim conducts much of CDT’s work in the areas of national security, terrorism, and Fourth Amendment protections. Nojeim is also Co-Chair of the Coordinating Committee on National Security and Civil Liberties of the Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section of the American Bar Association. (full text).
He is Chief Lobbist of the National Legislative Office, on Patriot Act Reform.
He says: « The ACLU has always stood up for communities and individuals whose rights have been put at risk. It is the hallmark of our entire history. Since 9/11, Arab Americans have faced particular difficulties because the government has often focused its law enforcement efforts on Arab Americans. Some of the powers of which are used to target Arab Americans » … (full text).
A video: Greg Nojeim, Chief Lobbist of the National Legislative Office, on Patriot Act Reform.
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Gregory T. Nojeim – USA
Listen him on this short ACLU-video.
Nojeim works to limit the threat to privacy posed by governmental wiretapping and monitoring of Internet communications. He was instrumental in bringing together the broad coalition of groups from across the political spectrum that worked to strip overly intrusive wiretapping proposals from the 1996 anti-terrorism law. He has substantial expertise on the application of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and on the civil liberties protections it affords. Other areas of his expertise include governmental data mining, the PATRIOT Act, the state secrets privilege, and the privacy implications of aviation security measures. (full text).
HEARING CHRONOLOGY: House Judiciary Committee Consideration of the USA PATRIOT Act, As of June 21, 2005.
He says also: « I chose this battleground—defending our civil liberties against encroachment by the federal government—because I love this country,” says the 45-year-old Nojeim, a veteran Constitutional lawyer who often testifies on Capitol Hill. “I’m the guy who stands up at the soccer game with his hand on his heart whenever they play the national anthem. As an American, I know the freedoms we enjoy are what make our country great. And those freedoms are worth fighting for—especially in light of the Patriot Act, which I’m convinced is threatening to undermine our Bill of Rights” … (full text).
The Truth about (Telecom) Immunity.
… Civil Rights Panels: One could practically still hear the applause an hour later as conference attendees split up to attend various afternoon panels, one of which dealt with the impact of 9/11 on civil rights. Jeanne Butterfield, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, summed it up: “The days after 9/11 have been very dark days for civil rights.” The Bush administration, she said, has taken several measures that infringe on fundamental constitutional rights and freedom, including secretly detaining individuals for indefinite periods of time and forcing the registration of foreign visitors from Arab and Muslim countries upon entering the United States. Worse, the executive branch has adopted these measures without consulting Congress or the courts. The latter point was troubling to speaker Greg Nojeim, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “The PATRIOT Act”—legislation passed immediately following 9/11 that grants the president more authority than any other document in American history—“attacks the role of judges by writing them out of the process,” Nojeim said. Among other rights infringements, the act authorizes ‘secret searches of citizens’ homes, which can be conducted without the use of a warrant or even notifying the individual in question. Said Nojeim, “It puts the CIA firmly back in the business of spying on Americans.” On the president’s unprecedented power under the Patriot Act, Nojeim insisted “this is not about due process. It’s about whether one man—the president—can determine who gets rights and who doesn’t. It’s a fundamental re-ordering of our society.” Georgetown Law Prof. David Cole, active in the defense of the infamous “L.A. 8,” drove the point home: “9/11 changed everything.” As each speaker left the podium, moderator Denyse Sabagh emphasized the need to write, call, e-mail or otherwise contact elected officials and voice opposition to the negative effects the administration’s policies have had on American civil rights. “Don’t be scared silent,” she said. “We can be, we must be, safe and free” … (full text).
Statement of the ACLU’s Gregory T. Nojeim on the Impact of National ID Cards on Civil Liberties.
And he says: « GREG NOJEIM: Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows the FBI to, with a very minimal showing before a secret court, to get all manner of personal information about a person from third parties. It doesn’t mention libraries, but it can be used to get library records, bookseller records, it could be used to get educational records, medical records. It could be used to get records about a person’s DNA. It could even be used to force a party that had, for example, a key to your apartment, to provide the key to the FBI. We believe that when that kind of authority is given to the FBI, they ought to be subjected to reasonable checks and balances. Those checks and balances are not in the Patriot Act » … (full text).
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STATEMENT OF GREGORY T. NOJEIM, LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION.
links:
Patriot Act: on wikipedia, ;
Law duke.edu: Webcasts, Audio, and Video;
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