For Immediate Release
September 10, 2004

Contact:
Elissa Free, (202) 662-9500

WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Enemy Aliens,” the acclaimed book on civil liberties curtailment after September 11 by Georgetown University Law Professor David Cole, has received the American Book Award from the nonprofit Before Columbus Foundation. The award was presented at a ceremony in Oakland, Calif. on September 5.

The American Book Awards, established in 1978 as an alternative to the National Book Award, recognizes the achievements of American authors in a variety of genres, including non-fiction. Past winners have included Cornel West, Henry Louis Gates, Helen Thomas, Alice McDermott, Chalmers Johnson, and Eugene Redmond.

In “Enemy Aliens,” published by The New Press in 2003, Cole argues that the nation has exploited a double standard in the war on terrorism, imposing burdens and obligations on noncitizens that would be unacceptable if applied to citizens. He argues that this double standard is wrong as a constitutional matter and will make us less safe in the long run. In addition, he argues that past efforts in the United States to curb the civil liberties of noncitizens in the name of national security have wound up infringing on citizens’ rights as well – and he shows that calls to sacrifice civil liberties after the September 11 attacks have already led to the same results.

Cole, who has spent nearly two decades litigating constitutional cases involving charges of terrorist infiltration and national security, said he was honored that “Enemy Aliens” was selected for the American Book Award.

"I sought in this book to give voice to the concerns of those whose concerns so often go unheard in American life, so this award, which seeks to recognize different voices, is a special honor.”

"Enemy Aliens” also received the Hefner First Amendment Award earlier this year.

In addition to teaching at Georgetown, Cole is the legal affairs correspondent for The Nation and a commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. He is the author of “No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System” (1999), which was named Best Nonfiction Book of 1999 by the Boston Book Review, and co-author of “Terrorism and the Constitution” (revised edition, 2002).

About Georgetown University Law Center

Georgetown University Law Center is one of the world’s premier law schools. It has the largest full-time faculty in the nation and is pre-eminent in several areas, including constitutional, international, tax and clinical law. Drawing on its Jesuit heritage, it has a strong tradition of public service and is dedicated to the principle that law is but a means; justice is the end. With this principle in mind, the Law Center has built an environment that cultivates an exchange of ideas and the pursuit of academic excellence. It brings together an extraordinarily varied group of teachers, scholars and practitioners, as well as an outstanding student body.

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