Patrick Leahy

February 13, 2008 -- Today, the Judiciary Committee turns its attention to the state secrets privilege – a common law doctrine the government can claim in court to prevent evidence that could harm national security from being publicly revealed. I want to thank Senators Specter and Kennedy for their help in planning this hearing, and commend them for their work on legislation that would create uniform standards to guide courts in evaluating state secrets privilege claims.    » read more »

Including A Provision Limiting The CIA To Interrogation Techniques Authorized In The Army Field Manual

February 13, 2008 -- This Report contains a provision that reinforces the prohibition against our Government engaging in torture. It expressly prohibits interrogation techniques that are not authorized by the United States Army Field Manual.    » read more »

February 12, 2008 -- The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act – FISA – is intended to protect both our national security and the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.    » read more »

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who also sits on the panel, sent a letter Thursday urging Attorney General Michael Mukasey to clarify testimony given to the Committee during last week’s Department of Justice oversight hearing. In the letter, they ask the Attorney General to explain the scope of the Department’s investigation into the CIA’s destruction of videotapes showing the use of harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, of al Qaeda terrorist suspects.    » read more »

January 30, 2008 -- "I had hoped today would provide more clarity on so many critical issues. Instead, we heard references to legal opinions, justifications, and facts that remain hidden from Congress and the American people.

It is a hallmark of our democracy that we say publicly what the laws are and what conduct they prohibit. We have seen what happens when hidden decisions rendered in secret memos are withheld from the people’s elected representatives and from the American people. It erodes our civil liberties and undermines our values as a nation of laws.    » read more »

January 28, 2008 -- “The Senate today rejected the tactics of obstructionism and delay employed by the Republican minority and the White House. In refusing to allow the entire Senate the opportunity to openly and fairly debate the important issue of amending our surveillance laws, Republicans have brought to a screeching halt the Senate’s extensive efforts over the last several months to protect this country and the privacy and civil liberties of all Americans.    » read more »

January 24, 2008 -- "Our great Nation was founded on the fundamental principle that all persons are created equal. We have long committed, and re-committed, ourselves to ensuring that all persons have the right to prosper through hard work and ingenuity. However, for many Americans, those rights still remain illusory. Today, we introduce a comprehensive bill to vindicate our founding principles and make the promise of equal opportunity in the workplace a reality for all Americans.    » read more »

Move Would Run Afoul Of Newly Enacted OPEN Government Act

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says funds for the Office of Government Information Services authorized under the newly enacted OPEN Government Act will be shifted to the Department of Justice, according to White House aides.    » read more »

January 23, 2008 -- Today Representatives Henry A. Waxman, John D. Dingell, Frank Pallone, Jr., Rosa L. DeLauro, and Edward Markey, and Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Patrick J. Leahy, and Christopher J. Dodd, questioned the basis for a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal that was apparently designed to shield pharmaceutical and device companies from liability for injuries sustained by American consumers as a result of unsafe products.    » read more »

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Cites Barack Obama's Ability to Restore America's Standing in the World

Chicago, IL, January 18, 2008 - Today, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President, citing his unique ability to restore America's standing in the world, end the war in Iraq, provide health care for all Americans, and rally this nation around a common purpose.    » read more »

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking the Department of Justice to provide the Committee with information regarding no-bid contracts directed to be awarded to firms affiliated with former Justice Department officials. According to an article in The New York Times, U. S. Attorney Christopher Christie directed the awarding of no-bid contracts to former Attorney General John Ashcroft’s consulting firm, two former U.S.    » read more »

January 11, 2008 -- “The Bush administration’s REAL ID program will not only lead to long lines at every DMV across the country, it will impose a massive unfunded mandate on state governments while offering absolutely no federal privacy protections to our citizens.    » read more »

Leahy-Schumer Led Amendment To Fix NICS System Unanimously Passes Senate

WASHINGTON (Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007) – The Senate Wednesday unanimously passed legislation designed to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the country’s foremost background check system for gun purchases.    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- "I am proud to cosponsor the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007, being introduced today by Senators Lieberman and Smith. I cosponsored this legislation in the last Congress and I am pleased to do so again.    » read more »

Urge Commissioner to Make Games Broadly Available to TV Viewers

Washington, D.C. -- December 19, 2007 -- U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Chairman Patrick Leahy today sent a letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the NFL Network. The letter questions the League’s justification for restricting the distribution of game programming. The Senators urge the Commissioner to take prompt action to make games more broadly available than solely on the NFL Network.    » read more »