ACLU praises Skelton on habeas corpus

WASHINGTON, June 22 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union Friday praised Rep. Ike Skelton for working to fully restore the writ of habeas corpus in U.S. law.

The ACLU in a statement praised Skelton, D-Mo., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, for working with a bipartisan coalition of congressmen and senators to push through legislation that, the ACLU said, "fully restores the writ of habeas corpus."

"The ACLU is encouraged to see further action in Congress to undo a grave setback to individual liberty and freedom in the Military Commissions Act of 2006," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Legislative Office. "Chairman Skelton deserves praise for spearheading this bipartisan effort. As President Bush's time in office runs out, the clock for those being held indefinitely at Guantanamo continues to tick. Congress needs to act to restore these fundamental rights for all individuals."

The ACLU noted that earlier this month, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved S. 185, legislation "that also restores habeas rights."

"With this bipartisan legislation now introduced by the chairman of the House Armed Services, the ACLU is confident that Congress will quickly move forward and pass habeas restoration legislation through both chambers of Congress," the human rights organization said.

"Chairman Skelton today has taken a major step forward in the process to restore our Constitution," said Christopher Anders, legislative counsel for the ACLU. "Having a bill sponsored by the chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee means that we will soon see this legislation get through Congress and onto the president's desk. We expect to see a habeas restoration bill go to the president by this fall."

Human rights groups have enjoyed greater influence in Congress since the Democrats won control of both houses in the 2006 elections.