Sherrod Brown Co-Sponsors Habeas Restoration Act [UPDATED]

It bothered me and many others when Sherrod Brown (D-OH) voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act during his successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. Brown justified his "yes" vote as moving along the process for detainees at Guantanamo who would otherwise continue to languish with no hearings. However, the abrogation of habeas corpus rights for non-citizen detainees was sharply criticized as an unacceptable blow to a bedrock of civil rights.

During my interview with Connie Schultz, Brown's spouse, she revealed that her husband regrets his vote in favor of the Military Commissions Act. Now he has an opportunity to try to undo the damage, and he is seizing it. Sen. Arlen Spector (R-PA) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have introduced S. 185, The Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007. Brown is on the Judiciary Committee and is one of 18 Democratic committee members (including Leahy) who are co-sponsors.

The bill will be marked up in committee today. Here is a list of Judiciary Committee members who have not signed on as co-sponsors, and capitol switchboard numbers you can use to urge them to support it:

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ)
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Toll free numbers for the Capitol Switchboard:

1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 459 - 1887
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437

UPDATE: Ooops, sorry, Brown is not a committee member, but he is a co-sponsor of the bill. It was approved by the committee today on an 11-8 vote, with Spector the only Republican joining Democrats in voting for it.