civil liberties

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2009
2:26 PM

CONTACT: ACLU

Monica Hopkins, ACLU of Idaho, (208) 333-8240 or 344-9750, ext. 203; mhopkins@acluidaho.org      
Stephen Pevar, ACLU national, (860) 570-9830
ACLU National Media Relations Office, (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

ACLU Seeks Immediate Improvement to Grossly Inadequate Conditions at Canyon County Jail

BOISE, Idaho - March 27 - The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Idaho today asked a U.S. district court judge to order officials in Canyon County, Idaho to immediately fix a number of serious problems plaguing the Canyon County Jail in Caldwell that have left a number of prisoners physically sick and that threaten the health and safety of prisoners and staff. 

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The ACLU conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2009
11:23 AM

CONTACT: ACLU

Maria Archuleta, ACLU, (212) 519-7808 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org
Nikki Cox, ACLU of Alabama, (334) 265-2754, x205

Alabama School District Agrees to End Illegal Sex Segregation

Policy Change Comes After Notice From ACLU

MOBILE, Ala. - March 25 - The Mobile County School System has agreed to stop sex segregation in public schools after being notified by the American Civil Liberties Union that its sex segregated programs were illegal and discriminatory. Late last evening, the Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County approved a settlement agreement changing the policy.

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The ACLU conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2009
1:46 PM

CONTACT: ACLU

James Freedland, (212) 519-7829 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org

Appeals Court Refuses to Revisit Decision Ordering Defense Department to Release Prisoner Abuse Photos

Photos Depict Abuse by US Personnel at Facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq

NEW YORK - March 17 - A federal court rejected a Bush administration request to reconsider a decision that ordered the Department of Defense to release photographs depicting the abuse of detainees by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected the government's request to have the full appeals court rehear a decision from last September ordering the release of the photos as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking information on the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody overseas.

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The ACLU conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2009
12:35 PM

CONTACT: ACLU

Linda Paris, (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org  

ACLU Presents Arguments Today for Congressional Select Committee to Reform US Surveillance Policies

Panel Discussion on Next Steps for Domestic Surveillance Highlights Consensus Among Privacy Rights Advocates

WASHINGTON - March 10 - The American Civil Liberties Union presented its reasons for Congress to establish a Select Committee to review U.S.

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The ACLU conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.



US Top Court Dismisses Al-Qaeda Case

WASHINGTON - The US Supreme Court Friday dismissed a constitutional challenge brought by alleged Al-Qaeda sleeper agent Ali al-Marri as to whether "enemy combatants" can be held indefinitely on US soil.

Marri had been the only "enemy combatant" held on US soil without charge.

The Supreme Court agreed in December to consider a petition by Marri's lawyers challenging former president George W. Bush's authority to indefinitely hold US residents and citizens without charge or trial.

Justices Seem to Be Leaning in Favor of Prop. 8

Prop. 8 opponent Michael Seche of Windsor holds a rainbow sign outside the California Supreme Court building. (Hardy Wilson / The Chronicle)

SAN FRANCISCO - The California Supreme Court, which last year declared the right of gays and lesbians to marry, appeared ready Thursday to uphold the voters' decision to overrule the court and restore the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

"There have been initiatives that have taken away rights from minorities by majority vote" and have been upheld by the courts, said Chief Justice Ronald George. "Isn't that the system we have to live with?"

Married Gays in Mass. Sue US for Federal Benefits

Actress/comedienne Wanda Sykes appeared before members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and their supporters at the Love and Marriage Rally for Equality held at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

BOSTON - Mary Ritchie, a Massachusetts State Police trooper, has been married for almost five years and has two children. But when she files her federal income tax return, she's not allowed to check the "married filing jointly" box.

That's because Ritchie and her spouse, Kathleen Bush, are a gay couple, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act makes them ineligible to file joint tax returns.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009
1:30 PM

CONTACT: ACLU

James Freedland, (212) 519-7829 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org

Government Brings Federal Charges Against ACLU Client Ali Al-Marri, Only "Enemy Combatant" Held on US Soil

Supreme Court Should Reject Abuse of Executive Power in Al-Marri's Case, Says ACLU

PEORIA, Il - February 27 - Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges today against Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, the only individual to be designated an "enemy combatant" by the Bush administration being held in military detention on U.S. soil. Al-Marri was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois and charged with two counts of material support for terrorism. The American Civil Liberties Union represents al-Marri in his case before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging his illegal designation as an "enemy combatant."

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The ACLU conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009
1:15 PM

CONTACT: ACLU

Linda Paris, (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org

Obama Administration Initiates Review of Bush Health Care Denial Rule

Bush Rule Hampers Access to Reproductive Health Services and Should Be Rescinded, Says ACLU

WASHINGTON - February 27 - The Obama administration is initiating a review of an ill-advised Bush administration rule that allows health care workers and facilities to refuse to provide reproductive health care services, even at the expense of patient safety. The rule, pushed through in the waning hours of the Bush administration despite public objection,threatens access to basic reproductive health services, including contraception and counseling for abortion care.  

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The ACLU conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009
8:58 AM

CONTACT: ACLU

Matthew Allee, (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org

Senate Intelligence Committee to Investigate CIA Detention and Interrogation

A Very Welcome Development, but Proceedings Should Be Open to the Public, Says ACLU

WASHINGTON - February 27 - Multiple news reports today indicate that the Senate Intelligence Committee will launch an investigation into the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) detention and interrogation programs. The investigation will seek to uncover how the agency was given the authority to establish black site prisons abroad to indefinitely detain individuals, as well as to interrogate them using torture and abuse. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomes the committee's investigation, and calls for the proceedings and findings to be open to the public.

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The ACLU conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.



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