Sen. Menendez on Habeas Corpus: An Update

by: Scott Shields

Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 08:13:56 PM EDT

So I'm very happy to announce that the Senator has (predictably) made good on his promise to work to restore Habeas Corpus by signing on as a co-sponsor of S.185. Here is his statement:

"I am a co-sponsor - a proud co-sponsor - of Senator Specter's bill, and I will continue to support and champion efforts to restore the right of Habeas Corpus. To that end, I have also agreed to co-sponsor the Leahy amendment to the Defense Authorization bill currently on the Senate floor. This issue is a priority, and I am hopeful that we can pass legislation in the near future."

For some, this may not be enough to earn him forgiveness for voting for the Military Commissions Act in 2006. I understand that position, but disagree. That vote was not taken in a vacuum, either politically or in terms of policy. And it was not taken lightly by the Senator, who at the time called it "an imperfect bill," and "not the bill [he] wanted."

But it cannot be ignored that Senator Menendez has lived up to the pledge he made in the aftermath of his vote "to make necessary improvements to this legislation to protect the civil liberties of all Americans." I'm proud to see him following through on this with the same trademark tenacity and dedication that he brings to issues like immigration reform, port security, and the protection of working families.