Demand Progress Applauds New Fourth Amendment Caucus and Creation of Fourth Amendment Advisory Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 13, 2016

Contact: Daniel Schuman, Policy Director, 202-577-6100

Email: [email protected]

Washington, D.C. — Today, a bipartisan group of 25 representatives, led by Reps. Ted Poe (R-TX) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), announced the formation of a new Fourth Amendment Caucus, establishing a new vanguard in the fight to protect the privacy rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment.

The following statement can be attributed to David Segal, Executive Director of Demand Progress:

“Representatives Ted Poe and Zoe Lofgren and their 23 colleagues should be commended for their commitment to defend Americans’ privacy in the face of the surveillance state. Congress must protect privacy from the many efforts to undermine it. Millions of progressives and conservatives nationwide are fed up with the sacrifice of our constitutional rights for the sake of security theater.”

Today, tens of millions of Americans are changing their online activity and self-censoring in response to current warrantless surveillance practices — a widespread diminution of freedom of expression we usually equate with authoritarian regimes and oppressive governments. The Fourth Amendment Caucus will help restore the freedoms that America was founded upon and reverse this dangerous course.

In concert with this tremendous effort, a coalition of experts spanning the political spectrum are announcing the establishment of the Fourth Amendment Advisory Committee, which will work in concert with the Fourth Amendment Caucus to educate the American people and lawmakers about threats to our civil liberties.

Together, the Fourth Amendment Caucus and the Fourth Amendment Advisory Committee represent a new vanguard fighting to restore civil liberty as the foundation upon which American Democracy is built.

Inaugural Members of the Fourth Amendment Caucus are:

Justin Amash (R-MI)



Mo Brooks (R-AL)



Michael Capuano (D-MA)



Peter DeFazio (D-OR)



Suzan DelBene (D-WA)



Blake Farenthold (R-TX)



Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)



Scott Garrett (R-NJ)



Louie Gohmert (R-TX)



Paul Gosar (R-AZ)



Walter Jones (R-NC)



Jim Jordan (R-OH)



Hank Johnson (D-GA)



Dan Kildee (D-MI)



Barbara Lee (D-CA)



John Lewis (D-GA)



Ted Lieu (D-CA)



Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)



Thomas Massie (R-KY)



Tom McClintock (R-CA)



Beto O’Rourke (D-TX)



Scott Perry (R-PA)



Ted Poe (R-TX)



Jared Polis (D-CO)



David Schweikert (R-AZ)

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