Civil Liberties

obama

Obama Administration Says President Can Use Lethal Force Against Americans on US Soil

But only in "extraordinary" circumstances.

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| Tue Mar. 5, 2013 1:36 PM PST

Senators Will Get to Know When Obama Can Kill Americans—But You Won't

Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee and their staffs will get access. The public? Not yet.

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| Tue Mar. 5, 2013 11:25 AM PST
Mike Beebe

Arkansas Gov. and Legislature Locked in Fight Over Abortion Bans

The state is on its way to passing the nation's most restrictive abortion law.

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| Tue Mar. 5, 2013 9:49 AM PST
kid in handcuffs

Does America Really Need More Cops in Schools?

Even before Newtown, more cops were patrolling our schools. Parents, judges, and civil libertarians give them failing grades for treating routine discipline like a crime.

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| Tue Mar. 5, 2013 4:00 AM PST

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In South Dakota, Women Can't Think on Weekends

The South Dakota legislature passed a bill excluding weekends and holidays from its 72-hour abortion waiting period.

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| Fri Mar. 1, 2013 9:14 AM PST

First SOPA, Now Your Privacy: Facebook, Google Flex Lobbying Muscle in Europe

The Goliaths of the tech industry already destroyed SOPA—now they're attempting to take down privacy laws in Europe.

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| Fri Mar. 1, 2013 4:00 AM PST

Marijuana Legalization May Be Unstoppable

New polls and votes suggest growing support for the repeal of pot prohibitions.

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| Thu Feb. 28, 2013 4:17 AM PST

Supreme Court Poised to Declare Racism Over

Conservative justices on the high court look set to scrap a key part of the Voting Rights Act.

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| Wed Feb. 27, 2013 11:29 AM PST
keyhole

Supreme Court: You Can't Challenge Secret Law Because It's Secret

A challenge to warrantless wiretapping fails at the Supreme Court.

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| Tue Feb. 26, 2013 9:56 PM PST
DNA

Should Cops Be Allowed to Seize Your DNA?

In 26 states, you have to give police your DNA if you're arrested for a serious crime. The Supreme Court will soon decide whether that violates the Fourth Amendment.

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| Tue Feb. 26, 2013 4:00 AM PST
ICE Detainers by Citizenship, 2008-12

ICE Cold: US Citizens Getting Caught in Immigration Dragnet

The embattled agency put immigration holds on more than 800 Americans in the past four years.

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| Thu Feb. 21, 2013 11:16 AM PST
obama and gates

Former Obama Officials Call for Oversight Over Targeted Killing

Obama's former defense secretary says there should be "some check" on the president.

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| Thu Feb. 21, 2013 6:04 AM PST

California Bill Could Outlaw Driving for up to a Week After Smoking Pot

"Zero tolerance" DUI laws effectively ban the use of cannabis

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| Thu Feb. 21, 2013 5:50 AM PST
western showdown

Montana Bill Would Let Sheriffs Arrest FBI Agents for Arresting People

Gary Marbut says Waco would have been averted if his bill had been in place two decades ago.

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| Thu Feb. 21, 2013 4:00 AM PST

WATCH: The State Of Obama's Union [Fiore Cartoon]

We are a new nation, a nation whose government can kill its citizens at will.

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| Wed Feb. 20, 2013 11:13 AM PST
obama screenshot

Why Obama Won't Say Whether He Can Kill You With a Drone

But he probably won't.

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| Fri Feb. 15, 2013 2:40 PM PST

Obama Issues Cybersecurity Order, Does Not Seize Control of Internet

Civil libertarians relieved, Republicans still freaked out.

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| Wed Feb. 13, 2013 9:57 AM PST

Obama's Empty Promises of Transparency on National Security

Obama's record suggests he won't be much more transparent when it comes to his national security policies.

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| Tue Feb. 12, 2013 9:52 PM PST
death penalty mugshots

13 Men Condemned to Die Despite Severe Mental Illness

If juveniles and intellectually disabled people are ineligible for execution, why not paranoid schizophrenics?

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| Tue Feb. 12, 2013 4:00 AM PST
drone missile fire

In the Context of "1,000 Years" of Warfare, Drones Are "More Humane"

Saying that US drones are "a lot more civilized" and more "humane" way of doing war-related business is technically true. But that's not really the point.

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| Mon Feb. 11, 2013 12:59 PM PST