June 6, 2012

MPAC kicked off 2012 with a campaign to protect our rights to due process. Last week, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest's ruled that the National Defense Authorization Act is unconstitutional. Following meetings with elected officials and hundreds of letters sent to their offices, MPAC is proud to announce that it is suspending its Due Process campaign. We do so with great appreciation for individuals who challenged the new provisions in NDAA, which allowed for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens who were suspected of terrorism.

Judge Forrest, “ruled Wednesday that Section 1021 of the NDAA was unconstitutional. It was a stunning and monumental victory. With her ruling, she returned us to a country where — as it was before President Obama signed this act into law Dec. 31, 2011 — the government cannot strip a U.S. citizen of due process or use the military to arrest him or her and then hold him or her in military prison indefinitely.”

This success is a testament to the power of our courts to serve justice.

Join us in thanking Judge Forrest by sending a letter to:
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl St.
New York, NY 10007-1312

Consider the following talking points in describing your appreciation to Judge Forrest:

• restoring rights guaranteed by the Constitution
• differentiating American democracy from the tyrannical regimes of dictators
• reaffirming the freedom that our troops are fighting for -- as we are not a free nation if our citizens can be detained arbitrarily
• checking the military’s power so it is no longer able to detain activists or those labeled as a threat without giving the accused the right to a trial to defend themselves
• reinstating the very freedom that terrorists are trying to undermine
• re-establishing the autonomy of law enforcement from military rule of law
• restoring the balance of power so the executive branch does not have the power to indefinitely detain its critics without charging them and giving them the right to a fair trial