AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION ADOPTS NEW POLICY ON
DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE, IMMIGRATION REFORM, ASBESTOS LITIGATION AND MORE

CHICAGO, Feb. 13, 2006 -- The American Bar Association House of Delegates today voted overwhelmingly to urge the Bush Administration to comply with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by seeking court orders for domestic wiretaps in terrorism investigations, or to seek amendments to the act if such are needed to protect national security. (Recommendation 305)

The House of Delegates, the ABA's policy-making body, also adopted a series of recommendations designed to protect the rights of injured claimants if the current tort based asbestos litigation system is changed to an administrative process. The policies are meant to ensure that claimants have access to representation, that any awards are not depleted by taxes or subrogation, and that any trust fund is adequately funded and contains contingent provisions to respond to any shortfall. (Recommendations 106A-D)

Among other action, the House adopted eight policies to improve the current immigration system (recommendations 107A-G and 300); a policy opposing legislation that would prohibit, limit or restrict the placement of children into foster care with same-sex foster parents (recomomendation 102); a resolution urging Congress to investigate the response of the federal government to hurricanes Katrina and Rita and urging state governments in the affected states to explore mitigation efforts for future natural disasters (recommendation 305); and a resolution urging Congress to appropriate funds for a commission to study and make findings about the present-day consequences of slavery in this country (recommendation 108A).

Information on these or other actions taken by the House, including full copies of the resolutions or supporting reports, is available online at http://www.abanet.org/leadership/2006/midyear/daily_journal/daily_journal.doc.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.

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