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LEARN MORE  >> The informants are watching us... But who's watching the informants? Preliminary research indicates that up to 80% of all drug cases in America may be based on information provided by informants. An informant can be a useful law enforcement tool – a necessary evil – if used properly.  But putting police work in the hands of known criminals and blindly trusting that justice will be done is an unnecessary evil.  Learn more >> BREAKING NEWS: Strip-Searched for Advil >> AUDIO: Davey D Remixes The Wire's Ed Burns >> VIDEO: Inside Recent Congressional Hearing >>

White House Continues to Push Ineffective Student Drug Testing Agenda (5/6/2008)
WASHINGTON – The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is conducting the latest in a series of regional summits designed to convince local educators to begin drug testing students randomly and without cause – a policy unsupported by the available science and opposed by leading experts in adolescent health, including the Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, the Association of Addiction Professionals and the National Association of Social Workers.

Federal Court Hears Case Today of 13-Year-Old Student Strip Searched for Ibuprofen (3/26/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appellate court today heard oral arguments over the constitutionality of a strip search performed on a 13-year-old Arizona girl by school officials looking for ibuprofen. A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled the search constitutional on September 21, 2007, greatly expanding the circumstances under which schools may strip search students. That decision will now be reviewed by the full Ninth Circuit. The American Civil Liberties Union is co-counsel in the case.

State Supreme Court Rules against Suspicionless Student Drug Testing (3/13/2008)
The Washington Supreme Court today unanimously found that Wahkiakum School District’s policy of suspicionless urine testing for students who participate in extracurricular athletic activities is unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington challenged the suspicionless testing program on behalf of two families in the district, including a deputy sheriff and an emergency room doctor.

ACLU Challenges Unlawful Strip Search Over Ibuprofen Allegation In School (3/3/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO - In legal papers delivered today, the American Civil Liberties Union joined an ongoing case to represent a 13-year-old girl unconstitutionally strip searched by school officials after a classmate’s uncorroborated accusation of ibuprofen possession. A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the search constitutional on September 21, 2007. The panel’s 2-1 decision, which greatly expands the circumstances under which schools may strip search students, will now be reviewed by the full Ninth Circuit.

Advocates Stand Together for Fairness in Federal Sentencing (2/26/2008)
Washington, DC – On Tuesday, February 26, activists from around the country, civil rights and professional organizations stood together to call for much-needed reform to the country’s federal sentencing laws. This press briefing and lobby event marked the culmination of a month-long series of events aimed at addressing the 20-year-old sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. According to current guidelines, a conviction for the sale of 500 grams of powder cocaine results in a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence, while the same penalty is triggered for sale or possession of only 5 grams of crack cocaine.