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Over the weekend, reports emerged that President Obama is considering authorizing an executive order reinstating the executive branch's power to indefinitely incarcerate suspected terrorists without due process. A disappointing continuation of oppressive Bush administration policy, such an executive order would thwart the rule of law and fundamental constitutional principles.

It is true that President Obama's decision to close the Guantánamo Bay detention camp may be subject to a protracted battle with Congress. However, the solution does not lie in harkening back to the Bush administration's unconstitutional detention policies and abuse of its power. We strongly urge the White House to reconsider such a draconian and harmful measure and give us the change we were promised – an end to unlawful imprisonment and the unnecessary sacrifice of American legal values.

"'Preventive detention' has no place in our nation," said Bob Edgar, the president of Common Cause. "We are a nation governed by the rule of law and we cannot simply suspend that."

While President Obama's signing last month of the "Helping Families Save Their Homes Act" was considered a victory for many troubled American homeowners, the banking industry also had reason to celebrate: Before its passage, a provision of the bill opposed by the industry was removed.

The original bill included a provision that would have allowed a bankruptcy judge to adjust the value of a mortgage to reflect the current value of the home. Proponents of the measure argue that it is the cleanest, easiest way to strike at the heart of the problem many homeowners now face – a home that has lost value and is worth less than their mortgage.

"Despite the difficult economic times and calls for greater regulation of the banking system, financial institutions continue to wield undue and unchecked influence over federal policy," said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. "Until we change the way we pay for congressional campaigns, average homeowners will be helpless when up against the power of the banking industry and its millions of dollars spent on campaign contributions and lobbying.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court took an important step in the right direction in reducing the influence of special interest money in our court system. Caperton v. Massey called into question whether a $3 million campaign contribution from Massey CEO Don Blankenship in support of Brent Benjamin in his race for state Supreme Court Justice should have led to his recusal from a case involving the overruling of a previous verdict against Massey. This case reveals how the current system of political fundraising can lead to a quid pro quo from large-pocketed contributors in exchange for decisions in their favor.

"We applaud the Supreme Court's decision today, which will help set the precedent that we need to end the pay-to-play culture that dominates America's political system," said Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause. "Despite today's victory, the fact remains that members of Congress continue to take money from a variety of interests that will be directly affected by the laws formed in Congress. If a large campaign contribution from a party in a case creates a conflict of interest for a judge, the same holds true for members of Congress who take large contributions from industries having a financial stake in legislation they must vote on."

Common Cause on Monday commended the Obama Administration for its new rules governing the communication between lobbyists and government officials about the use of economic stimulus money authorized by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The new rules came as an update to the "Memorandum on Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds," issued in March, which limited oral communications between federally registered lobbyists and government officials concerning the Recovery Act.

"The Administration has done itself a favor by pushing back on the special interests and creating a process where decisions can be made on the merits of the projects being proposed, rather than on how well-connected the contractors are," said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. "For the stimulus package to be successful, the American public needs to be confident that stimulus dollars are being spent wisely."

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) has received considerable press over the years for adding so-called earmarks to defense spending bills that benefit large campaign contributors and send no-bid contracts back to his district in Pennsylvania, many of questionable value to the taxpayer. A review of campaign finance reports, however, shows that the practice of inserting earmarks on behalf of campaign contributors is far more widespread on Rep. Murtha's appropriations subcommittee alone.

The 18 members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which Rep. Murtha chairs, inserted more than $355 million in earmarks into the 2008 defense spending bill on behalf of their campaign contributors. Those contributors, according to campaign disclosure reports, donated a total of $1.3 million to the individual members who sponsored the earmarks.

As the House Committee on Energy and Commerce begins debate soon on a draft energy bill, an immediate and intense battle over whether this bill can pass in Congress is likely. Energy and climate change issues are high on the minds of the American people and were debated aggressively during the 2008 elections. The public demands action and deserves it.

The energy industry has already been active, though, and the American people similarly deserve to see how the industry – whose profits and future depend on decisions made in Congress, particularly the Energy and Commerce committee – has exerted tremendous influence over this debate already through targeted campaign contributions and massive lobbying expenditures.

If confirmed as a member of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), John Sullivan has an opportunity to improve the performance of that failing agency. In his career, Mr. Sullivan has been a strong advocate for election protection and demonstrated support for the recently introduced Fair Elections Now Act, which would bring genuine reform to the broken campaign finance system in this country.

However, in his role as a labor union attorney, Mr. Sullivan argued that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's disclosure requirement for electioneering communications should no longer be enforced by the FEC following the Supreme Court's decision in Wisconsin Right to Life II. Fortunately, the FEC did not embrace that position. While it is normal for attorneys to vigorously argue the positions of their clients, as a commissioner it is vital Mr. Sullivan enforce campaign finance laws as intended by Congress and interpreted by the courts.

Lobbyists have been negatively portrayed in recent years due to congressional scandals and a focus on earmarks that raise questions about influence buying. President Obama even barred most lobbyists from his Administration and limited their participation in working on the stimulus bill.

But neither lobbyists nor the profession are bad, Bob Edgar, the president of Common Cause, said Tuesday at a forum on lobbying held at George Washington University.

Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation today that entered Washington into a binding agreement to elect the president using the national popular vote. The agreement, which has also been enacted by Maryland, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Illinois, will go into effect once states representing a majority of the Electoral College join it, possibly in time for the 2012 election.

"We are now one step closer toward a goal of having every vote for President count equally in all 50 states," said Common Cause President Bob Edgar, who noted that a total of twenty-seven legislative chambers have approved the National Popular Vote legislation in the past three years. "Legislators are clearly picking up that citizens support the common sense notion that the candidate who gets the most votes should win."

Common Cause on Tuesday called for the impeachment of federal Judge Jay Bybee for his role in signing a 2002 memo released last week that authorized torture.

Bybee, then an assistant attorney general, signed the memo that authorized various forms of torture, including waterboarding, slamming detainees into a wall, putting them in "stress positions," and depriving them of sleep for up to 11 days. These techniques are illegal under U.S. code. They are also a violation of international law, and the United States' obligations under the Geneva Convention. Additionally, the conduct authorized by Bybee in these memos is morally reprehensible.

Common Cause commends President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder for standing up for the rule of law and releasing the long-held secret torture memos.

"You have made it clear that America does not tolerate 'secret laws' and that the American people condemn the use of torture," said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. "You have done the right thing in releasing minimally redacted copies of these memos when many voices urged continued secrecy."

Recent revelations that AIG gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to the same politicians who crafted and approved the company's $170 billion federal bailout is one of the strongest arguments for Congress to pass a set of sweeping fundraising reforms that will be introduced this week, a coalition of good government groups said today.

A set of bipartisan bills sponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Reps. John Larson (D-Conn.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) will be introduced today and announced at a news conference in the Senate Press Gallery. Called the Fair Elections Now Act, the proposal would provide qualified congressional candidates a public grant, or "Fair Elections" funding to run a viable campaign in exchange for agreeing to take no contribution larger than $100.

Millions of voters in 2008 faced unacceptable and unnecessary barriers to voting, and Congress should move quickly to fix the problems it can, Common Cause Vice President Tova Wang testified Thursday before Congress.

"Voting rights organizations, elections administrators and citizens worked hard together in unprecedented ways before Election Day, and as result, many Americans were able to easily and effectively cast their ballots," Wang told a House Judiciary panel considering lessons learned from 2008.

Common Cause is asking its 400,000 members and supporters to sign an open letter to the head of American International Group (AIG), demanding that AIG executives return the $165 million in bonuses received last week and any additional money from the $450 million they were slated to receive this year, and that CEO Edward Liddy answer questions.

"AIG wrote trillions of dollars in bad insurance contracts, but their managers aren't being fired -- they're being rewarded instead," Arn Pearson, Common Cause vice president for programs, wrote in an alert to members. "That's right, the same people who helped engineer the financial crisis -- advocating risky, irresponsible insurance practices -- are about to come out ahead."

Common Cause President and CEO Bob Edgar testified Wednesday before a joint House and Senate Judiciary panel in support of a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that would require that states hold elections to fill Senate vacancies.

"We believe the Constitution should be amended rarely and with great care, but election of our representatives in Congress is one of those issues that crosses that threshold," Edgar told the Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on the Constitution and the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on the constitution, civil rights and civil liberties.