Blog of Rights
Amy
Cannata
11/03/2011
Indefinite Detention

Thank You Sen. Baucus for Opposing Indefinite Detention

By Amy Cannata, ACLU of Montana at 3:24pm

We are heartened that Montana Sen. Max Baucus is opposing two provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which strike at the heart of our constitutional protections for a fair justice system.

Those two provisions would authorize indefinite detention of American citizens without any charges and without a trial (Section 1031) and require that all terrorism suspects be held in military custody (Section 1032).

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04/22/2011

It's Not Over for Montana Domestic Partnerships

By Amy Cannata, ACLU of Montana at 11:06am

We always knew it was going to be a journey with bumps and curves in the road. So did our six plaintiff couples when they signed on to sue the state of Montana for domestic partnership recognition.

This week our lawsuit, Donaldson and Guggenheim v. State of Montana, hit a pothole when Montana District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock ruled against us and in favor of the state's motion to dismiss the case. But make no mistake, the wheels are still on the car, and we are still traveling hopefully toward a future where all loving, committed couples are treated with dignity, fairness and respect, and have the same rights to care for one another as opposite-sex married couples.

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12/29/2009

17…and in Solitary

By Amy Cannata, ACLU of Montana at 5:15pm

As a young child, “Robert Doe” suffered at the hands of an abusive father who beat him with belts and clothes hangers and encouraged his siblings to beat him with baseball bats. Robert was often locked in a room for days or weeks on end. Alone. As a direct consequence of his abusive upbringing, Robert, now 17, suffers from mental illness, and the state that should be helping him has chosen to torture him instead.

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