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Lesbian And Gay Couples Win Freedom To Marry In Connecticut (10/10/2008)
HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Supreme Court today ruled that barring same-sex couples from marriage violates that state's constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union, which was co-counsel in the case along with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, applauded the decision.

ACLU Challenges Threat By Government To Designate Charity As "Terrorist" (10/9/2008)
TOLEDO, OH – The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio and several civil rights lawyers today asked a federal court to block the government from blacklisting an Ohio-based charity, KindHearts for Charitable Humanitarian Development, Inc., without due process. The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) froze the group's assets more than 31 months ago, without notice or a hearing, based simply on the assertion that KindHearts was "under investigation." OFAC has since threatened to designate KindHearts as a "specially designated global terrorist" based on classified evidence, again without providing KindHearts with a reason or meaningful opportunity to defend itself.

Court Blocks Government From Designating Charity As "Terrorist" (10/9/2008)
TOLEDO, OH – A federal judge today blocked the government from blacklisting an Ohio-based charity, KindHearts for Charitable Humanitarian Development, Inc., without further judicial review. In response to a request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio and several civil rights lawyers on behalf of KindHearts, Judge James G. Carr of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Western Division blocked the government from designating the organization as a specially designated global terrorist "without first affording KindHearts with constitutionally adequate process," including notice and a meaningful opportunity to contest the basis for such a designation.

Due To Unlawful Practices In Nine States, Hundreds Of Thousands Of Voters Could Be Disenfranchised (10/9/2008)
NEW YORK – In response to a news report showing that tens of thousands of eligible voters are being illegally removed from voter rolls or blocked from registering to vote, the American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to require states to comply with federal law. The New York Times reported today that election officials in at least nine states are violating federal law by either improperly using Social Security data to screen newly registered voters or removing thousands of voters after the federal deadline expired.

NSA Monitored Personal Conversations Of Innocent Americans, Report Says (10/9/2008)
NEW YORK – National Security Agency (NSA) officials have intercepted, listened to and passed around the phone calls of hundreds of innocent U.S. citizens working overseas, according to an ABC News report out today. The new information shows the government has misled the American public about the scope of its surveillance activities, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.