Common Cause and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy have called on members of the House to “urge the Ethics Committee to formally rule on the legality of a plan closely associated with Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) to establish a children’s charity as a fundraising vehicle to subsidize donor events at the Republican National Convention.”

A federal judge has ruled that at least one provision of the USA Patriot Act is unconstitutional. A U.S. District Judge in California ruled that the U.S. Patriot Act’s ban on providing "expert advice or assistance" to foreign terrorist groups is unconstitutionally vague, in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments. This is the first federal court decision finding any portion of the Patriot Act illegal. The judge’s decision did not include a nationwide injunction on the provision as sought by the plaintiffs.

The myriad of numbers in the recent proposed federal budget included a surprising change in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)—an increase of funds to investigate whistleblower claims.