Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee (and formerly that committee’s Republican Chairman), has signed on as a cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). At last June’s Senate Judiciary Committee UAFA hearing, Specter expressed strong support for ending discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans and their families in immigration law. Immigration Equality applauds Senator Specter for his support for LGBT binational families. Eight of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s twelve Democrats are now cosponsors of UAFA. A ninth, Senator Ted Kaufman of Delaware, recently publicly stated his support for equal immigration rights for LGBT families. Full Story from SDGLN.com: http://sdgln.com/causes/2009/11/19/uafa-gains-influential-new-cosponsor ... Read Full Story

Two federal data security laws have cleared the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.The committee on Thursday voted to approve both the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2009, sponsored by committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and the Data Breach Notification Act, endorsed by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.Leahy's bill requires that breached organizations notify individuals whose personal information was compromised. Entities do not have to report the incident if the exposed data was encrypted or somehow rendered useless. Right now, breach alert mandates are handled at the state level, where 45 states have passed similar laws. A federal law would supersede those.Leahy's legislation ... Read Full Story

Ten months into Barack Obama's presidency, Democrats are accusing Republicans of creating "a dark mark on the Senate" by delaying confirmation of his federal court nominees. The mark might not be as dark as Democrats make it seem. Of the 27 judicial nominations Obama has made so far, all five brought up for votes in the Senate have won relatively quick confirmations, including new Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. So what is this "dark mark" that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., talks about? It's primarily two federal judges — one from Indiana, the other Maryland — who've been waiting five months for ... Read Full Story

Defying the Obama administration, the House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to remove from the USA Patriot Act a tool for tracking non-U.S. citizens in anti-terrorism investigations. The committee, dominated by Democratic liberals, also voted to amend the anti-terrorism law to curb the government's surveillance and seizure powers. The bill went to the full House on a 16-10 vote along party lines, with Republicans casting all the votes in opposition. GOP lawmakers said the legislation would hinder law enforcement and intelligence agencies in fighting terrorism. The legislation would allow the Patriot Act's never-used "lone wolf" section to expire at the end of the year. The ... Read Full Story

The White House, key senators and media representatives have reached a compromise on legislation to protect reporters from being forced to disclose their confidential sources in federal court. Senate supporters of the so-called media shield bill said Friday that the deal gives the government authority to override those rights in certain national security cases. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the agreement "strikes the right balance between national security concerns and the public's right to know." He said it would preserve a strong defense for reporters trying to protect sources while making sure the government can do its job of protecting citizens. The Senate Judiciary ... Read Full Story