Civil Liberties

Safeguard the promises and protections of the Constitution

I took an oath to uphold and defend our Constitution, an oath I take very seriously.

Congress must take responsible steps to secure our homeland and fight the war on terror. It should, however, not be done at the price of our civil liberties. Our founders had a clear understanding that the preservation of personal rights and security from unwarranted government intervention are vital to maintaining liberty. 

Reports of the National Security Agency (NSA) collecting millions of phone records from telecommunications companies is, to say the least, upsetting. This action was based on a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) warrants. FISC was created under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). The act was intended to acquire foreign intelligence information between foreign powers, which can include American citizens. According to the FISC orders, certain telecommunications companies were required, on an “ongoing, daily basis,” to give the NSA information on all phone calls that occur within their systems.

While I believe law enforcement and the intelligence community should have the resources necessary to combat terrorism, I also believe they should be held accountable to the rights of privacy guaranteed by the Constitution.

The expansion of the Internet as a mass communications tool has raised serious questions about privacy - in this case, whether it is Constitutional for the NSA to broaden their existing authorization to extend to those who are not directly suspected of being association with terrorist organizations. While some argue that the NSA is simply attempting to combine new technology with existing laws to protect the nation from horrific acts like 9-11, I believe it is important for Congress to ensure that our civil liberties are protected before permitting any expansion of wiretapping power. 

Legislative Action in the 113^th Congress:

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

Cosponsored H.R. 1852, the Email Privacy Act, which would require a warrant to read emails and preservesFourth Amendment rights.