Elizabeth Goitein

Co-Director, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice

Elizabeth (Liza) Goitein (@LizaGoitein) co-directs the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program, which seeks to advance effective national security policies that respect constitutional values and the rule of law. Before coming to the Brennan Center, Ms. Goitein served as counsel to Senator Feingold, Chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As counsel to Senator Feingold, Ms. Goitein handled a variety of liberty and national security matters, with a particular focus on government secrecy and privacy rights. She also worked on matters involving immigration, juvenile justice, sentencing, prisoner re-entry, and First Amendment issues. Previously, Ms. Goitein was a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. Ms. Goitein is also on LinkedIn.

Articles by this author:

Much Ado About Nothing: Recent Changes to Department of Defense Directive 5240.01

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Oct 25th, 2024

The New Intelligence Community Directive on Prepublication Review: Important Reforms and Critical Omissions

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Sep 20th, 2024

Is Secret Law the Solution to an Overbroad Surveillance Authority?

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Jun 11th, 2024

The Year(s) of Section 702 Reform, Part VI: (Another) Looming Deadline

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Apr 5th, 2024

The Just Security Podcast: Toward a Goldilocks Deal on 702 Surveillance Reform

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Dec 5th, 2023

The Year of Section 702 Reform, Part V: The HPSCI Majority FISA Working Group Report

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Nov 27th, 2023

The Year of Section 702 Reform, Part IV: The Government Surveillance Reform Act

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Nov 7th, 2023

The Year of Section 702 Reform, Part III: Why Congress Should Not Exempt Warrantless “Foreign Intelligence” Queries

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Jul 27th, 2023

The Year of Section 702 Reform, Part II: Closing the Gaps and Completing the Modernization of FISA

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Apr 18th, 2023

The Year of Section 702 Reform, Part I: Backdoor Searches

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Feb 13th, 2023

The Biden Administration’s SIGINT Executive Order, Part I: New Rules Leave Door Open to Bulk Surveillance

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Oct 31st, 2022

The Biden Administration’s Senseless Opposition to Congress’s Effort to Prevent Abusive National Guard Deployments

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Jul 28th, 2022

The Russia Sanctions – How They Work and What Congress Needs to Know

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Mar 31st, 2022

Does the Law Matter?: Coup Edition

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Feb 11th, 2022

2022 Update: Good Governance Paper No. 18: Reforming Emergency Powers

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Jan 24th, 2022

The Biden Administration’s Disappointing Sanctions Report: What Should Come Next

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Oct 29th, 2021

Congress’ Access to Individuals’ Private Communications: The Jan. 6 Committee’s Troubling Precedent

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Sep 22nd, 2021

Protect Communications Privacy for All of Us—Not Just Lawmakers and Reporters

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Jun 22nd, 2021

Why D.C.’s Mayor Should Have Authority Over the D.C. National Guard

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Jan 8th, 2021

Good Governance Paper No. 18: Reforming Emergency Powers

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Oct 31st, 2020

A Window to Rein in DHS

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Jul 28th, 2020

The President’s Private Army

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Jul 24th, 2020

ODNI’s 2019 Statistical Transparency Report: The FBI Violates FISA…Again

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May 1st, 2020

Top Experts Analyze Inspector General Report Finding Problems in FBI Surveillance

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Apr 27th, 2020

Congress Is Ready for FISA Reform — Will the House Judiciary Committee Rise to the Occasion?

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Feb 25th, 2020

After the IG Report: “Next Steps” for Congress, DOJ, and the FISA Court

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Jan 13th, 2020

The FISA Court’s Section 702 Opinions, Part II: Improper Queries and Echoes of “Bulk Collection”

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Oct 16th, 2019

The FISA Court’s 702 Opinions, Part I: A History of Non-Compliance Repeats Itself

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Oct 15th, 2019

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board’s Disappointing Report on PPD-28 Implementation

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Oct 24th, 2018

Americans’ Privacy at Stake as Second Circuit Hears Hasbajrami FISA Case

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Aug 24th, 2018

Trump v Hawaii: Giving Pretext a Pass

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Jun 27th, 2018

A Way Forward on Section 702 Queries

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Feb 20th, 2018