American Bar Association

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Category: Organizations

The American Bar Association (ABA) is the world's largest voluntary professional organization with a membership of over 400,000 lawyers and judges.

Michael S. Greco, the President of the ABA, gave a speech at the Commonwealth Club of California, entitled "Living within the Law: Next Steps in the War on Terror" which was very critical of the Bush administration's obsession with secrecy, and it growing infringement of Constitutional rights. He concluded by saying "We have now reached a point where all Americans must ask themselves whether these practices of our government are isolated and unconnected, or whether they form a pattern that threatens the very foundations of the rule of law in the United States."

In July 2006, the ABA issued a report on Presidential signing statements. The full report is available on their website, but it concludes that the president cannot use a signing statement to nullify parts of legislation.

RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association opposes, as contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional system of separation of powers, the issuance of presidential signing statements that claim the authority or state the intention to disregard or decline to enforce all or part of a law the President has signed, or to interpret such a law in a manner inconsistent with the clear intent of Congress.

At their 2007 meeting, the ABA opposed President Bush's executive order authorizing "enhanced interrogation techniques" (torture), and they called on Congress to immediately amend the Protect America Act of 2007 to restore constitutional safeguards.

External Links

• ABA - official website.