The Department of Justice announced on December 12, 2025 that it had sued four additional states—Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Nevada—demanding complete, unredacted voter registration lists including driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, bringing the total number …
Department of JusticeHarmeet DhillonJena GriswoldBill GalvinAndrea Joy Campbell+4 morevoter-suppressiondoj-weaponizationsurveillance-stateelectoral-manipulationcivil-liberties+2 more
Federal officials told faith leaders gathered outside the Broadview ICE detention center in Illinois that ’there is no more prayer in front of building or inside the building because this is the state and it’s not [of a] religious background.’ The directive marked the third time …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)Department of Homeland SecurityMichael PflegerThomas MillsTricia McGlaughlin+1 moreicereligious-freedomfirst-amendmentdetentionimmigration+4 more
Over 2,300 National Guard troops from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio, Louisiana, and Tennessee began patrolling Washington DC streets carrying M17 handguns and M4 semiautomatic rifles, marking an unprecedented militarization of the nation’s capital during peacetime. The armed …
TrumpNational GuardDepartment of Defensemilitarizationposse-comitatusnational-guardauthoritarian-infrastructurecivil-liberties
The Institute for Justice files a federal lawsuit on behalf of Norfolk residents Lee Schmidt and Crystal Arrington, challenging the city’s deployment of 172 Flock Safety automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras as an unconstitutional violation of the Fourth Amendment’s …
Institute for JusticeLee SchmidtCrystal ArringtonNorfolk Police DepartmentFlock Safetysurveillancealprfourth-amendmentcivil-libertieswarrantless-surveillance+1 more
Flock Safety’s automated license plate recognition network reaches unprecedented scale, with more than 5,000 law enforcement departments across the United States using interconnected cameras that perform over 20 billion scans of vehicles every month. The company now operates in more than 5,000 …
Flock SafetyGarrett LangleyACLUElectronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)surveillancealprmass-surveillancelicense-plate-readerswarrantless-surveillance+1 more
Three privacy rights advocates filed a class action lawsuit against Oracle Corporation on August 19, 2022, in the Northern District of California, alleging that the company operates a “worldwide surveillance machine” that has compiled detailed digital dossiers on approximately 5 billion …
OracleIrish Council for Civil LibertiesJohnny RyanMike Katz-LacabeJennifer Golbecksurveillanceprivacydata-brokersoraclelawsuits+1 more
On May 18, 2021, Amazon extended its global ban on police use of Rekognition facial recognition software indefinitely “until further notice,” prolonging what was originally announced as a one-year moratorium in June 2020. The extension came just weeks before the original moratorium was …
AmazonAWSAndy JassyJeff Bezossurveillancefacial-recognitionamazonrekognitionpolice+3 more
On Wednesday, June 10, 2020, Amazon announced a one-year moratorium on police use of its Rekognition facial recognition software, shocking civil rights activists and researchers who had spent two years fighting to stop the company from selling surveillance technology to law enforcement. The …
AmazonAWSJeff Bezossurveillancefacial-recognitionamazonrekognitionpolice+4 more
On July 26, 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released results of an independently verified test demonstrating that Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition software incorrectly matched 28 members of Congress with mugshots from a database of arrest photos. The test, which cost …
ACLUAmazonAWSJohn LewisJimmy Gomezsurveillancefacial-recognitionamazonrekognitionracial-bias+4 more
Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive 214-page report documenting that many high-profile FBI terrorism prosecutions were “an illusion” based on aggressive sting operations that entrapped vulnerable individuals who posed no genuine threat. The report analyzed decades of terrorism …
FBIHuman Rights WatchDepartment of Justicefbi-abuseentrapmentterrorism-prosecutioncivil-libertiesaccountability
The United States Supreme Court unanimously rules in Riley v. California that police generally may not, without a warrant, search digital information on a cell phone seized from an individual who has been arrested. Chief Justice John Roberts writes the landmark opinion, declaring that “cell …
Four men from Newburgh, New York—James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen—were arrested in an FBI sting operation in which a paid government informant conceived the plot, provided all the means, and coerced economically desperate men into participating. A federal judge …
FBIShahed HussainJames CromitieDepartment of Justicefbi-abuseentrapmentinformantsterrorism-prosecutioncivil-liberties
A Department of Justice Inspector General audit revealed that the FBI’s terrorist watchlist contained approximately 35% errors, with large portions of the list governed by no formal processes for updating or removing records. The report exposed systematic failures in a watchlist system that …
FBIDepartment of Justice Inspector GeneralTerrorist Screening Centerfbi-abusewatchlistsno-fly-listcivil-libertiesdue-process
The FBI ordered informant Craig Monteilh to infiltrate multiple large mosques in Orange County, California, in a dragnet surveillance operation that targeted entire Muslim communities rather than specific suspects. The operation exemplified the FBI’s post-9/11 practice of religious profiling …
FBICraig MonteilhMuslim communityDepartment of Justicefbi-abusesurveillancereligious-profilingcivil-libertiesinformants
James Risen and Eric Lichtblau published a groundbreaking front-page New York Times article revealing the NSA had been conducting warrantless surveillance of Americans since 2001 under President Bush’s secret authorization. The story exposed that the NSA, traditionally focused on foreign …
James RisenEric LichtblauNew York TimesGeorge W. BushNSApulitzer-prizewhistleblowingfisa-bypassjournalismstellarwind+8 more
Congress passes the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2004 (H.R. 2658), containing language that permanently terminates funding for the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program and orders the immediate closure of DARPA’s Information Awareness Office. The Senate had voted …
U.S. CongressSenateHouse of RepresentativesGeorge W. BushDARPA+4 moresurveillanceprivacylegislationtiamass-surveillance+4 more
The New York Times publishes an investigative piece by John Markoff exposing the full scope of the Pentagon’s Total Information Awareness (TIA) program, a $240 million initiative that aims to create unprecedented mass surveillance capabilities by mining personal data from financial …
New York TimesJohn MarkoffDARPAJohn PoindexterInformation Awareness Office+2 moresurveillanceprivacymediainvestigative-journalismtia+3 more
President Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act just 45 days after 9/11, following an unprecedented rushed legislative process that bypassed normal democratic deliberation. The 342-page bill was introduced October 23, passed the House 357-66 on October 24, and the Senate 98-1 on October 25, with only …
George W. BushRuss FeingoldTom DaschleJim SensenbrennerViet Dinhpatriot-actsurveillancecivil-libertiesrushed-legislationfeingold
In September 2001, AT&T established a secret partnership with the NSA to provide direct access to its internet backbone infrastructure, creating unprecedented mass surveillance capabilities that bypass traditional legal protections. This infrastructure enabled the systematic collection and …
Bush AdministrationAT&TNSAsurveillancetelecommunicationsnsacorporate-cooperationinternet-backbone+3 more
The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, led by Senator Frank Church, comprehensively investigated illegal activities by US intelligence agencies. The committee exposed widespread constitutional violations including NSA’s Project …
Frank ChurchCIANSAFBIintelligence-oversightcivil-libertiescongressional-investigationsurveillanceinstitutional-reform
The U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Miranda v. Arizona that law enforcement must warn suspects of their constitutional rights before custodial interrogation, or else statements cannot be used as evidence at trial. The decision requires police to inform suspects of: (1) the right to remain silent; …
U.S. Supreme CourtChief Justice Earl WarrenRichard NixonLaw enforcement organizationslaw-enforcementcivil-libertiesinstitutional-resistanceconservative-backlashpolice-state
On June 17, 1957, the Supreme Court issued three decisions that significantly limited McCarthyist overreach: Yates v. United States, Watkins v. United States, and Service v. Dulles. Known as “Red Monday” to conservative critics, these rulings began the judicial rollback of the security …
Earl WarrenU.S. Supreme CourtOleta O'Connor YatesCommunist Party USADepartment of Justicecivil-libertiesjudicialfirst-amendmentmccarthyismred-scare+1 more
On June 19, 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by electric chair at Sing Sing prison, becoming the first American civilians executed for espionage during peacetime and the only Americans executed for Cold War spy activities. Their case remains the most controversial capital punishment in …
Julius RosenbergEthel RosenbergRoy CohnIrving SaypolIrving Kaufman+3 moremccarthyismred-scarecapital-punishmentcivil-libertiespolitical-persecution+1 more
By 1952, the Hollywood blacklist had reached its peak, with over 300 writers, directors, actors, and other film industry professionals banned from employment. What began with the Hollywood Ten’s 1947 contempt citations expanded through HUAC hearings, private “clearance” systems, …
Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American IdealsStudio executivesHouse Un-American Activities CommitteeAmerican LegionFBI+1 moremccarthyismcivil-libertiesblacklistentertainment-industryfirst-amendment+1 more
On June 4, 1951, the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-2 in Dennis v. United States, upholding the convictions of eleven Communist Party leaders under the Smith Act of 1940. The decision effectively criminalized political advocacy, allowing prosecution for teaching or advocating revolutionary …
Fred VinsonU.S. Supreme CourtEugene DennisCommunist Party USADepartment of Justicemccarthyismcivil-libertiesjudicialfirst-amendmentred-scare+1 more
In early 1951, the Hollywood Ten—screenwriters and directors cited for contempt of Congress in 1947 for refusing to answer HUAC’s questions about Communist Party membership—were released after serving prison terms ranging from six months to one year. Their freedom from incarceration, however, …
Hollywood TenDalton TrumboRing Lardner Jr.John Howard LawsonHouse Un-American Activities Committee+1 moremccarthyismcivil-libertiesblacklistentertainment-industryfirst-amendment+1 more
President Harry Truman vetoes the Internal Security Act of 1950 (McCarran Act) on September 22, 1950, sending Congress a lengthy veto message criticizing specific provisions as “the greatest danger to freedom of speech, press, and assembly since the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798,” a …
Pat McCarranKarl MundtHarry TrumanHubert HumphreyU.S. Congress+4 moremccarthyismred-scarecongressional-actioncivil-libertieshuac+1 more
In 1950, California passed the Levering Act, requiring all state employees to sign a loyalty oath swearing they did not belong to organizations advocating overthrow of the government. The law followed a bitter fight at the University of California that had already fired 31 faculty members for …
California LegislatureEarl WarrenUniversity of California Board of RegentsAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)mccarthyismcivil-libertiesacademic-freedomred-scarepolitical-persecution+1 more
In 1950, the State Department revoked the American passport of Paul Robeson—All-American football player, Phi Beta Kappa recipient at Rutgers, Columbia Law School graduate, internationally acclaimed concert performer, actor, and persuasive political speaker. The revocation came in response to …
Paul RobesonState DepartmentJ. Edgar HooverFBIred-scarecivil-libertiespolitical-persecutionsurveillance-stateracial-justice
On June 1, 1950, less than four months after McCarthy’s Wheeling speech, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith delivered a fifteen-minute speech on the Senate floor known as the “Declaration of Conscience.” As a freshman senator, a fellow Republican who considered herself a friend of …
Margaret Chase SmithJoseph McCarthyWayne MorseGeorge AikenEdward J. Thye+3 morered-scarepolitical-resistanceinstitutional-corruptioncivil-liberties
President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9835 on March 21, 1947, nine days after announcing the Truman Doctrine, establishing the first general loyalty program in United States history designed to root out Communist influence in the federal government. The order mandates loyalty …
Harry S. TrumanFederal Bureau of InvestigationCivil Service CommissionHouse Un-American Activities Committeecivil-libertiesmccarthyismred-scaresurveillanceloyalty-oath+1 more
On January 3, 1945, the House of Representatives votes to make the Dies Committee a permanent standing committee, renamed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Mississippi Representative John Rankin, a virulent segregationist and antisemite, engineers the transformation through a …
House of RepresentativesJohn RankinMartin DiesHouse Un-American Activities Committeered-scarepolitical-persecutioncivil-libertiesinstitutional-capturelegislative-overreach
The Supreme Court rules 6-3 in Korematsu v. United States on December 18, 1944, upholding the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066 and the exclusion of Japanese Americans from the West Coast. Justice Hugo Black writes for the majority that military necessity during wartime justifies the mass …
Supreme CourtFred KorematsuHugo BlackRobert JacksonFrank Murphy+2 morecivil-libertiesracial-discriminationsupreme-courtconstitutional-violationjudicial-capture+1 more
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, authorizing the Secretary of War and military commanders to designate “military areas” from which “any or all persons may be excluded.” Though the order never mentions Japanese Americans by name, …
Franklin D. RooseveltWar Relocation AuthorityU.S. Army Western Defense CommandJohn L. DeWittMilton Eisenhower+1 morecivil-libertiesracial-discriminationexecutive-overreachconstitutional-violationproperty-seizure+1 more
Congress passes the Alien Registration Act, commonly known as the Smith Act after its sponsor Representative Howard W. Smith of Virginia, on June 28, 1940. The law makes it a criminal offense to “knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise, or teach the duty, necessity, desirability, or …
Howard W. SmithCongressDepartment of JusticeFranklin D. Rooseveltcivil-libertiesfirst-amendmentpolitical-persecutionred-scarelabor-suppression+1 more
On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur violently disperse the Bonus Army—43,000 demonstrators including 17,000 World War I veterans, their families, and affiliated groups—who had marched on Washington, D.C. to demand early payment of service bonus …
Douglas MacArthurHerbert HooverDwight D. EisenhowerWalter WatersBonus Army veterans+1 moremilitary-forceveteransgreat-depressioncivil-libertiesstate-violence
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed by electric chair at Charlestown State Prison in Massachusetts at 12:19 AM, exactly seven years after their arrest. Despite worldwide protests, new evidence suggesting innocence, and widespread doubt about the fairness of their trial, Massachusetts …
Nicola SaccoBartolomeo VanzettiAlvin FullerA. Lawrence LowellWebster Thayercivil-libertieslabor-suppressionxenophobiajudicial-captureanarchism+1 more
The Supreme Court rules 8-1 in Buck v. Bell to uphold Virginia’s compulsory sterilization law, providing constitutional blessing for the eugenics movement’s campaign to sterilize those deemed “unfit.” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes writes for the majority that the state may …
Oliver Wendell HolmesCarrie BuckHarry LaughlinU.S. Supreme CourtEugenics Record Officeeugenicsjudicial-capturecivil-libertiessupreme-courtinstitutional-racism
Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel, completing the crossing in 14 hours and 31 minutes - beating the existing men’s record by nearly two hours. The 20-year-old New Yorker receives a ticker-tape parade attended by two million people, demonstrating public …
The Supreme Court rules 7-2 in Gitlow v. New York to uphold Benjamin Gitlow’s conviction under New York’s Criminal Anarchy Act for publishing “The Left Wing Manifesto,” a socialist pamphlet advocating revolutionary mass action. Justice Edward Sanford’s majority opinion …
Edward SanfordBenjamin GitlowU.S. Supreme CourtOliver Wendell Holmescivil-libertiesfirst-amendmentred-scaresupreme-courtlabor-suppression
Italian immigrant anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are arrested in Brockton, Massachusetts, on streetcar robbery charges that will be escalated to murder charges in connection with a payroll robbery in South Braintree that left two men dead. The arrests occur at the height of the …
Nicola SaccoBartolomeo VanzettiFrederick KatzmannWebster ThayerDepartment of Justicecivil-libertieslabor-suppressionxenophobiajudicial-capturered-scare+1 more
On January 2, 1920, the Palmer Raids reached their peak with coordinated mass arrests in 33 cities across the United States, targeting alleged radicals, communists, and anarchists. Under the direction of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and 24-year-old J. Edgar Hoover, who headed the Justice …
Attorney General A. Mitchell PalmerJ. Edgar HooverDepartment of JusticeActing Secretary of Labor Louis Postpolitical-repressioncivil-libertiesred-scaredeportation
Congress passed the Sedition Act on May 16, 1918, extending the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and expression of opinion that cast the government or war effort in a negative light or interfered with the sale of government bonds. The Act forbade the use of …
U.S. CongressPresident Woodrow WilsonU.S. Postmaster Generalcivil-libertiesfirst-amendmentpolitical-repressionprogressive-era
Presbyterian minister and abolitionist newspaper editor Elijah Parish Lovejoy is murdered by a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois, struck by five bullets while defending his printing press from destruction. The murder of Lovejoy—whose fourth printing press had been hidden in a warehouse owned by …
On the night of August 21, 1831, enslaved preacher Nat Turner leads a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, that kills between 55 and 65 white people over approximately 48 hours before being suppressed by local militias and federal troops. Turner, deeply religious and literate, interpreted a …
Nat TurnerVirginia LegislatureSouthern state governmentsEnslaved populationWhite vigilante mobsslaveryslave-powerstate-violenceinstitutional-racismcivil-liberties+1 more