Our own Khadine Bennett, was profiled in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (subscription required) on Tuesday. Khadine originally join the ACLU of Illinois in 2008 as our Reproductive Rights Fellow before assuming her current position as Legislative Counsel:

Colleen K. Connell, executive director of the ACLU of Illinois, said Bennett originally started at the ACLU on a temporary fellowship, but Connell didn't want to let her go.

"She so impressed me by her intellect and her integrity, that I said to my colleagues, 'We have got to find a way to keep her,'" Connell said.

She said Bennett adeptly navigates conflict during the legislative process.

"She's very good at confronting issues and managing that confrontation in a collegial, straightforward and very productive way," Connell said.

"She's good at drilling down on the concerns of an opposing counsel or a legislator and really addressing that concern in a way that drives the issue forward."

That ability to handle conflict stems from Bennett's respectfulness, even when speaking to someone who is completely opposed to the ACLU's position, Connell said.

Read the whole thing.

The Associated Press reports from Seattle on the hearing of the two cases involving the government granting immunity to telecommunications companies that collaborated in unwarranted wiretapping and data collection. The ACLU of Illinois filed the lawsuits on behalf of dozens of plaintiffs, including late renowned Chicago journalist Studs Terkel. ACLU of Illinois legal director Harvey Grossman gave an argument in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to challenge this collaboration between the federal government and major telecom companies such as AT&T. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been at the forefront along with the ACLU in arguing against this unlawful government spying.

The EFF and ACLU also argued that Congress violated the separation of powers by allowing the attorney general to choose when to grant immunity to telecom companies. Certain federal statutes, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, allow for customers to sue if companies violate those laws. By giving the DOJ the power to grant immunity, Congress is allowing the department to choose which laws apply - essentially letting DOJ make law rather than just enforce it, they said.

Read the whole thing.
Learn more about this case.