ACSBlog: The Blog of the American Constitution Society

• A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held Friday that four former Guantanamo prisoners cannot sue senior Pentagon officials and military offices for torture, abuse, and violations of their religious rights because the officials have qualified immunity. The former prisoners plan to appeal.
• The Bush administration's $3.9 billion plan to create national standards for driver's licenses –  which includes requiring personal information be stored on a computer chip – has run into opposition by people who argue the plan would "be costly for states to implement, potentially restrict summer travel, and allow private companies access to the personal data of most U.S. citizens." Under the terms of the REAL ID Act, everyone who currently holds a license must re-apply in person with certified copies of birth certificates and marriage licenses.

Religion

• Some Georgia high schools are declining to take advantage of a recently-passed state law that allows schools to add courses on the Christian Bible to the curriculum.
• A federal judge in Missouri enjoined the distribution of Bibles at elementary schools by The Gideons International as a violation of the Establishment Clause.

Supreme Court

• The Legal Times interviewed ACS Board of Directors Chair Paul Smith and his partner at Jenner & Block Donald Verrilli Jr., who argued two high profile cases before the U.S. Supreme Court last week.

Access to Justice

• California's chief justice called for a state constitutional amendment to speed up review of death sentences by allowing appellate courts to hear the majority of appeals.

Consumer Affairs

• Whether banks failed to disclose details of high-risk loans to credit reporting agencies and investors is the focus of an investigation by New York state prosecutors.
• Federal mortgage fraud convictions have doubled in the last year.