Dear ACLU Supporter,

Urge President Obama to stand by his attorney general's principled decision and reject a return to Bush-era military commissions.

Take Action Now
Last night, the Washington Post reported that the Obama administration is on the verge of deciding to prosecute the 9/11 suspects in military commissions—a stunning reversal of its earlier decision to try them in federal criminal courts.

This reversal would deal a death-blow to the principled decision-making of President Obama's own Justice Department.

Fear-mongering politicians are putting considerable pressure on the administration to use the ineffective military commissions. That's why we need every American who believes in justice and due process to take action right away.

Urge President Obama to stand by his attorney general's principled decision and reject a return to Bush-era military commissions.

Attorney General Eric Holder made the right decision to use civilian trials for the cases of the men accused of perpetrating the 9/11 attacks. Nothing has changed since then except for the fear-mongering and scare tactics of cynical politicians.

If the president overturns his attorney general's decision under political pressure, he will betray his campaign promise to lead an America that abides by the Constitution and the rule of law.

Military commissions are contradictory to American values. They would allow convictions based on coerced evidence and hearsay. They're also ineffective. Our criminal justice system has successfully handled over 300 terrorism cases since 9/11, compared with only three in the military commissions.

These are the most important terrorism trials in history, and the world will be watching to see whether we stand up for due process, justice and the rule of law.

Please join the ACLU in urging the president to hold firm and keep these prosecutions in federal court—where they belong.

Urge President Obama to stand by his attorney general's principled decision and reject a return to Bush-style military commissions.

We only have a matter of days to impact one of the most significant decisions of the Obama presidency. Once you've taken action online, please also call the White House at (202) 456-1414.

As President Obama approaches this fateful decision, the ACLU is pulling out all the stops to make sure he knows just how strongly millions of Americans feel.

I urge you to make your voice heard now—loudly and clearly—before the president acts.

Sincerely,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
ACLU

P.S. Keep an eye out for our hard-hitting ad urging Obama to stand by his administration's decision in this Sunday's New York Times.

TAKE ACTION NOW:
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