[JURIST] The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights [official website] issued an updated report Tuesday on what it described as the steadily-eroding state of civil liberties and human rights in the United States over the 18 months that have passed since the attacks of September 11. LCHR President Michael Posner said in a press release that "In the last six months in particular, the executive branch has taken a series of measures to consolidate its authority and these actions have, in some cases, prevented Congress and the courts from playing their safeguarding roles. In other cases, Congress and the judiciary have been too submissive or deferential.” Read the full text of Imbalance of Powers [PDF], covering developments relevant to open government; the right to privacy; the treatment of immigrants, refugees and minorities; and security detainees and the criminal justice system.