Issue Position: Civil Liberties

Issue Position

Jerry had the honor to serve as the Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties from 2006 to 2009, and has since served as ranking Democrat on that Subcommittee. As such, he takes very seriously his responsibility to uphold the U.S. Constitution and protect Americans' individual liberties. He uses his role to provide critical oversight of the Department of Justice, to prevent governmental abuses of power and overreach into our lives, and to protect the checks and balances upon which our system of government relies.

Whether fighting for due process and habeas corpus, investigating warrantless wiretapping, or working to reform the overbroad USA PATRIOT Act, Jerry is committed to safeguarding our liberties, while consistently pushing for genuine security measures to keep our nation safe. He is also considered one of Congress' leading champions on other key civil liberties, including a woman's right to choose, religious freedom and church-state separation, privacy rights, and freedom of speech and other expression. Throughout his career, Jerry has adamantly supported the right to free speech and assembly, including during the 2004 Republican National Convention protests and the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, which took root in his district.

Jerry has held dozens of hearings in the Subcommittee and introduced many keys bills, each seeking to illuminate civil liberties issues and protect the American people from the overreach of state power. Among his most important bills are the State Secret Protection Act, which would reign in abuses of executive power, and the National Security Letters Reform Act, which would protect Americans from government invasion of privacy. Jerry has also strongly opposed the extra-judicial detention center at Guantanamo Bay, worked to repair our flawed military commissions system, and fought passionately for accountability for torture and other grave abuses of power.

In a bipartisan effort, Jerry sponsored the landmark Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which became law in 2000 and provides heightened protections for religious minorities. He has also authored the Freedom of Choice Act, which would enshrine Roe v. Wade into federal law. In recent years, he has helped form the first line of defense against vicious assaults by right-wing legislators intent on rolling back decades of progress on reproductive rights. Former NARAL President Kate Michelson remarked that, "Jerry Nadler is at the forefront of the movement to protect reproductive freedom, fighting everyday against anti-choice leaders in Congress and the White House, who are determined to take away a woman's right to choose. We need Jerry now more than ever."

Since 2011, Jerry has also served as a senior member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet, where he has focused on patent reform, internet neutrality, and the rights of performance and visual artists.

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