On May 17, 2012 five nominees to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) were forwarded from the Senate Judiciary Committee to the full Senate for consideration. The PCLOB is charged with ensuring that fundamental rights are protected in the implementation of government programs.  Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said, “When we worked to create this board, we did so to ensure that our fundamental rights and liberties would be preserved… The Senate should move quickly to confirm the nominees to the board so that they can get to their important work.”

The nominees are Jim Dempsey, Center for Democracy and Technology; Elisebeth Collins Cook, a former Department of Justice lawyer; Rachel Brand, an attorney for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Patricia Wald, a former federal judge for the D.C. Circuit; and David Medine, an attorney at WilmerHale.

The Board was originally created by Congress in 2004, at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, to be located within the Executive Office of the President.  In 2007, the PCLOB became an independent entity within the Executive Branch, but the five seats on the Board have been vacant since 2007.