MCLU Applauds Congressional Letter to Attorney General

Allen and Michaud Stand Up for Mainers’ Privacy Rights

Thursday, August 24, 2006
Contact: Zachary Heiden, MCLU Staff Attorney, (207)774-5444

Portland: The Maine Civil Liberties Union applauds United States Congressmen Tom Allen and Mike Michaud for standing up for Mainers’ privacy rights.  In a joint letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sent today (attached), the Congressmen condemn a Department of Justice lawsuit against the Maine Public Utilities Commission and Verizon.  The lawsuit, filed on Monday, seeks to block the PUC from investigating whether Verizon cooperated with National Security Agency warrantless surveillance programs in this state. 

“We write to express our strong objections to the Department of Justice’s interference with the State of Maine’s inquiry into customer privacy rights,” Congressmen Allen and Michaud state in the letter.  “We share the growing concerns of many of our fellow citizens about the erosion of basic civil liberties under policies administered by the Executive Branch.”

Traditionally, the Justice Department has sued states that are not protecting the rights of citizens.  In contrast, this lawsuit seeks to prevent Maine from protecting the privacy rights of Maine telephone customers.

“It appears that the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice is an attempt to prevent this investigation and silence those who have the right to question government action,” said Congressmen Allen and Michaud in the letter.  “The Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the State of Maine is an unacceptable infringement on our state’s rights and responsibilities to protect the privacy of Maine customers.”

Congressmen Allen and Michaud noted that a recent Federal Court decision, in the case of AT&T v. Hepting, said that investigations against phone companies could continue without threatening national security.  “Courts” wrote the Congressmen, “are able to craft solutions to discovery problems that address security concerns while protecting the rights of litigants.”