The Reform Government Surveillance coalition strongly
supports the Judicial Redress Act (H.R.1428) and urges the House Judiciary
Committee to approve the legislation for consideration by the full House of
Representatives. Enactment of the USA Freedom Act in May was an essential
step in reforming our surveillance and privacy laws, and the Judicial Redress
Act is a logical and necessary next step in ensuring that citizens of our most
important allies receive the same protections under the Privacy Act as we
provide to American citizens whose information is in the government’s
possession. Extension of these core benefits of the Privacy Act will
allow governments to cooperate fully in cross-border law enforcement and
counter-terrorism investigations and will also allow the U.S. to continue to
rebuild trust in how consumers view technology companies when they cooperate
with legitimate law enforcement requirements. The RGS coalition urges
Congress to enact the Judicial Redress Act this year and applauds House
Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim
Sensenbrenner, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers and other bill
supporters for their leadership on this important issue.