The "Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007" mirrors a bill, S. 185, offered in the Senate by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bill would restore habeas corpus for those detained by the American government.

The "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007" would also reinstate habeas rights and clarify the definition of "enemy combatants." Additionally, it would block the federal government from making up its own rules on torture. The Geneva Conventions have governed American behavior during war for decades. The bill makes clear the federal government must comply with the Conventions, and no one in the federal government - not even the president -- can make up their own rules on torture and abuse.

On why these bills matter:

"There is already clear evidence that some of those held at Guantanamo Bay shouldn’t be there," said Christopher E. Anders, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. "These bills ensure that those being held by our government are afforded basic due process rights. The fact that innocent people are being held by our government, without charge, is an affront to our freedoms and values."