09 June 2007

Habeas corpus: Good news, some questions, and a call to action

Yesterday, the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act (S.185) passed a vote by the Senate Judiary Committee.

This is good news, and a nice first step towards reversing the damage caused by the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

My questions are these:

First, the bill passed by a vote of 11-8. What are those 8 senators who voted against the bill thinking? Habeas corpus is one of the most fundamental principals of constitutional governance and international human rights law. Their voting against it makes it appear that their loyalty to the Bush administration trumps their respect for human rights.

Second, assuming that this bill passes through Congress, will Bush veto it? If so, will Congress have the backbone to override the veto?

Take action:

We can't just sit back and watch. We must do everything we can to push for passage of this very important legislation, and we need to get as many Senators and Representatives on board with this as possible, to ensure enough votes to override a possible Bush veto.

Please contact your Senators and Representative and ask them to support S.185 and its companion bill in the House, H.R. 1416.

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