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Federal Court Rules Unconstitutional Guantánamo Trial Of Salim Hamdan Can Proceed (07/17/2008)
NEW YORK – Despite acknowledging questions about the constitutionality of the Guantánamo military commission system, a D.C. federal district judge ruled today that the military trial of Yemeni national Salim Hamdan can proceed.

Lesbian Appeals Firing From Publicly-Funded Baptist Group Home In Kentucky (07/17/2008)
The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a brief today in a federal appeals court urging the court to allow a discrimination lawsuit to go forward on behalf of a lesbian who was fired from her job at a publicly-funded Baptist group home in Kentucky. The home for vulnerable children required the woman to observe its religious belief that being a lesbian is sinful. The brief also charges that taxpayers should be able to challenge the state of Kentucky's decision to give public funds to a home that imposes its religious beliefs upon the children in its care.

ACLU Sues Government Over Citizenship Delay For Iraq War Hero (07/16/2008)
KANSAS CITY, MO – The American Civil Liberties Union sued the government in a federal court in Kansas for unlawfully delaying the citizen application of Julian Polous Al Matchy, a highly decorated U.S. Army war hero. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court with the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri in cooperation with the McCrummen Immigration Law Group, LLC against Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FBI Director Robert Mueller and two officers of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

CA Supreme Court Rules On Bennett v. Bowen (07/16/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO - Today, the California Supreme Court issued an order in Bennett v. Bowen, S164520, denying a petition to remove Proposition 8, the proposed marriage ban, from the November ballot.

Demanda contra el alguacil Arpaio por el uso de perfiles raciales contra los latinos en el Condado de Maricopa (07/16/2008)
PHOENIX - El día de hoy, cinco individuos y Somos América, una coalición de latinos de la comunidad, demandaron al alguacil del Condado de Maricopa, Joe Arpaio, a la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Maricopa (MCSO, por sus siglas en inglés) y al Condado de Maricopa, con la acusación de que los miembros de su organización eran obligados a detenerse y luego maltratados por las fuerzas del orden público debido a que eran latinos. La demanda de acción de clase, la cual se sustenta en una denuncia hecha el pasado mes de diciembre, se encuentra ante el Tribunal de Distrito del fuero federal en Arizona.

Proposed Bush Regulations Jeopardize Women’s Health (07/16/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed its outrage at draft regulations proposed by the Bush administration that could jeopardize access to basic health care for millions of American women, and possibly compel women’s health clinics to hire individuals unwilling to perform everyday job duties.

Sheriff Arpaio Sued Over Racial Profiling Of Latinos In Maricopa County (07/16/2008)
PHOENIX – Today, five individuals and Somos America, a Latino community-based coalition, sued Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) and Maricopa County, charging that they or their members were unlawfully stopped and mistreated by law enforcement because they are Latino. The class action lawsuit - which builds upon a complaint filed last December - is before the U.S. District Court in Arizona.

ACLU At Guantánamo For Military Commission Hearings This Week (07/15/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union is at Guantánamo Bay this week observing the military commission hearings of Yemeni national Salim Ahmed Hamdan, whose trial is scheduled to begin next week. Separately, a federal judge is holding a hearing on Thursday to decide whether to delay Hamdan's trial and allow lawyers to continue challenging the legality of the commission system. A ruling in favor of Hamdan could bring the unlawful military commissions to a halt.

As Guantánamo Video Is Made Public, ACLU Calls On Government To Release Wrongfully Withheld Documentation Of Detainee Abuse (07/15/2008)
NEW YORK – Despite vigorous attempts by the Bush administration to block the release of footage showing the policies inside Guantánamo, lawyers made public a video today documenting the interrogation of Omar Khadr, a Canadian captured in Afghanistan in 2002 when he was 15 years old.

H&R Block to Give $100 Coupon or Free Tax Software to Gay Couples Barred from Online Tax Service After ACLU Letter (07/15/2008)
HARTFORD, CT - After pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, H&R Block has agreed to give $100 coupons or free TaxCut software to all gay couples who incurred additional costs because they were barred from using the company's online tax service, TaxCut Online. The coupons can be applied towards the costs of future tax preparation expenses with the company for the 2008 tax season. The company has also agreed to direct future tax filers with civil unions to a free online support specialist to help couples complete their taxes.

Terrorist Watch List Hits One Million Names (07/14/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The nation's terrorist watch list has hit one million names, according to a tally maintained by the American Civil Liberties Union based upon the government's own reported numbers for the size of the list.

Federal Court Rules Strip Search Of 13-Year-Old Student For Ibuprofen Unconstitutional (07/11/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO – The American Civil Liberties Union applauded a federal appellate court ruling today that school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old Arizona girl when they strip searched her based on a classmate’s uncorroborated accusation that she possessed ibuprofen. Today’s 6-5 ruling from an en banc panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reverses an earlier decision by a divided three-judge panel of the same court. Eight of the eleven judges on the en banc court held that the strip search violated Savana’s constitutional rights, and a six-judge majority further held that the school official who ordered the search is not entitled to immunity as a result of his actions.

ACLU Sues Over Unconstitutional Dragnet Wiretapping Law (07/10/2008)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a landmark lawsuit today to stop the government from conducting surveillance under a new wiretapping law that gives the Bush administration virtually unchecked power to intercept Americans' international e-mails and telephone calls. The case was filed on behalf of a broad coalition of attorneys and human rights, labor, legal and media organizations whose ability to perform their work - which relies on confidential communications - will be greatly compromised by the new law.

Louisiana Becomes 11th State to Reject Federal Real ID Act (07/10/2008)
WASHINGTON – The state of Louisiana recently enacted legislation that prohibits the state from complying with the Real ID Act of 2005, federal legislation that mandates to all states that they create a national ID card. The Department of Homeland Security has been trying to gain support for the Act, but has faced growing resistance from the states. Louisiana is the 11th state to pass a law barring compliance with Real ID, and the 21st state to formally express its displeasure with the federal mandate. The legislation was passed by a vote of 72-22 in the Louisiana House, and by a vote of 36-2 in the Senate before Governor Bobby Jindal signed the bill into law.

ACLU At Guantánamo This Week For Hearings On Detainees' Legal Representation (07/09/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union is at Guantánamo this week for hearings to determine whether any of the detainees accused of 9/11-related crimes were coerced by fellow detainees into rejecting direct legal representation at their June 5 arraignment.

ACLU Skeptical of Senate Hearing on “Homegrown” Terrorism (07/09/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union urges the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to avoid suggesting that Americans of a certain religion or ethnicity have a greater proclivity for “homegrown terrorism.” Tomorrow the committee conducts a hearing on, “Islamist Extremism and Efforts to Counter It.” Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office said, “Making certain people, simply because of their religious beliefs and backgrounds, terror suspects is a grave national security mistake. We risk real harm to core civil rights and raise the risks of violent attacks by ignoring the Timothy McVeighs and Ted Kaczynskis who seek to do us harm.”

ACLU Thanks Senators Who Stood for the Constitution (07/09/2008)
Washington, DC – After a brutal loss on the FISA Amendments Act today in the Senate, the American Civil Liberties Union expressed gratitude to the senators who cast their vote against the bill.

ACLU To Fight For Religious Freedom Of American Indian Incarcerated In Wyoming (07/09/2008)
RAWLINS, WY – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Wyoming have agreed to represent a man whose rights to religious freedom are being violated by officials at the Wyoming State Penitentiary (WSP) who are not allowing him to practice his traditional Indian religion.

Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity To Phone Companies (07/09/2008)
WASHINGTON – Today, in a blatant assault upon civil liberties and the right to privacy, the Senate passed an unconstitutional domestic spying bill that violates the Fourth Amendment and eliminates any meaningful role for judicial oversight of government surveillance. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 was approved by a vote of 69 to 28 and is expected to be signed into law by President Bush shortly. This bill essentially legalizes the president’s unlawful warrantless wiretapping program revealed in December 2005 by the New York Times.

ACLU Calls on Congress to Investigate FBI’s Reported Racial and Ethnic Profiling Plan (07/08/2008)
Washington, DC – In light of tomorrow’s Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice, the ACLU urges Congress to investigate the FBI’s reported racial and ethnic profiling plan. Although the guidelines do not require congressional approval, Congress has the authority to stop the Justice Department from finalizing guidelines that will open the door to racial and ethnic profiling of American citizens and legal residents during national security investigations. The Associated Press reported last week that among the factors that could make someone the subject of an investigation are travel to regions of the world known for terrorist activity; access to weapons or military training; and a person’s racial or ethnic background.