June 15, 2006

NEWARK, N.J. -- The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today delivered a petition containing the names of 1,300 New Jerseyans from across the state who support the organization's call to investigate whether local telecommunications companies allowed the National Security Agency to spy on New Jersey customers.

The ACLU-NJ sent the petition to New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox, urging the regulatory agency to investigate whether Verizon and AT&T cooperated with the NSA's warrantless surveillance and data mining of Americans.

"Today, the people of New Jersey have stepped forward to demand that their government investigate this massive, illegal and fundamentally un-American invasion of our privacy," said ACLU-NJ Executive Director Deborah Jacobs. "We join with thousands of concerned citizens in calling on our state officials to demand investigations into this troubling breach of public trust. The people of New Jersey—and all Americans—want the truth."

The ACLU-NJ also learned today that the federal government is seeking to block state Attorney General Zulima Farber from seeking information about the phone companies' cooperation with the NSA. "We applaud Attorney General Farber for taking such an active role," added Jacobs. "However, the federal government is trying to suppress the public's right to know. This a slap in the face to the people of New Jersey who have stood up to demand that state officials investigate whether the phone companies have violated any of the state's consumer protection laws."

Last month, the ACLU-NJ and affiliates in 19 other states filed complaints with public utility commissions or sent letters to state Attorneys General and other officials demanding investigations into the unlawful sharing of billions of consumers' call records with the NSA.

In addition to the 1,300 signatures delivered to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities today, the ACLU has collected tens of thousands of signatures nationwide that have been delivered to state public utilities commissions.

"The rule of law has been broken, and it must be restored," said Jacobs. "The people of New Jersey are proud to stand against this abuse of power. We urge our state officials to bring the truth to light."

Online Resources:

• The ACLU-NJ's May 24 Letter to the Board of Public Utilities (2mb PDF)
• The ACLU's concerns with NSA spying: http://www.aclu.org/nsaspying
• Letters from ACLU affiliates and other information regarding the domestic surveillance program: http://www.aclu.org/dontspy