USA
Patriot Act | Rule of Law
| Racial Profiling
| Voting Rights
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Death Penalty
| LGBT Rights
| Second Amendment Rights
Issues
Rights and Freedoms
I am committed to ensuring that all of our citizens enjoy the rights and protections
guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Americans are entitled to due process and equal protection under the law regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
I am working hard to fight discrimination by, for example, introducing legislation to end the practice of racial profiling, and consistently supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). I strongly supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to restore the principle of equal pay for equal work.
As our nation continues to counter the very real threat posed by al Qaeda and its affiliates, I am working to ensure that we preserve our cherished freedoms while fighting terrorism aggressively. I was the only senator to vote against the USA PATRIOT Act because, while it contained many provisions I supported, it failed to adequately respect constitutional rights and protections.
I opposed many Bush Administration policies that ignored the Constitution and the rule of law. In September 2008, I held a hearing to urge the next President to make restoring the rule of law a top priority. In early 2009, I issued a 100-day Report Card to assess the progress made by the Obama administration on this front.
I continue to be concerned about the unnecessary expansion of government powers, and I believe that ensuring civil rights and civil liberties for all Americans should be a priority for the executive branch and the Congress.
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