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ACLU Sues TSA Official, JetBlue for Discriminating Against Passenger Wearing Arabic T-Shirt (08/09/2007)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit charging that a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official and JetBlue Airways illegally discriminated against an American resident based solely on the Arabic message on his t-shirt and his ethnicity.

ACLU of Rhode Island Challenges Removal of Congressional Candidate's Political Signs (08/06/2007)
PROVIDENCE, RI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of former Congressional candidate Rod Driver, seeking a court order and damages against the town of Richmond and police chief Raymond Driscoll for repeatedly removing Driver's political signs from private property during the last election. The lawsuit charges that the town's actions amounted to a willful violation of Driver's First Amendment rights.

ACLU of Arizona Urges Senator Kyl to End Hold on FOIA Bill (08/02/2007)
PHOENIX - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today urged Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to end his hold on bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the public's right to know. The OPEN Government Act (S. 849) would eliminate the backlog in FOIA requests and provide reasonable consequences on federal agencies that miss deadlines for complying with FOIA.

ACLU Applauds House Action on Reporters’ Shield (08/01/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union was optimistic today after a mark-up in the House Judiciary Committee on legislation that would protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans. The Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, H.R. 2102, which contains specific speech protections for journalists, passed the committee by voice vote. The legislation would establish a qualified privilege protecting journalists from being compelled to reveal their anonymous sources, balanced with other interests. The privilege includes a narrow exception that would only allow a reporter to be compelled to reveal a source if there is an actual and imminent danger to national security or public safety.

ACLU and ACLU of Colorado Urge University of Colorado Not to Fire Professor (07/19/2007)
In an open letter to the University of Colorado Board of Regents released today, the ACLU and the ACLU of Colorado urged the Board to reject the recommendation of CU President Hank Brown to terminate Professor Ward Churchill. President Brown’s decision ran counter to the majority of the Appeals Panel of the Privilege and Tenure Committee, which concluded that dismissal was not warranted.

ACLU Objects to Rockefeller's Indecency Legislation, Bill Treads on the First Amendment (07/18/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union said today that indecency legislation, slated for markup in the Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow, violates the First Amendment. Recently introduced by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), S.1780 would attempt to regulate "indecent" television programming by instituting a Federal Communications Commission policy that a single word or image could be considered "indecent."

ACLU of New Jersey Challenges Arbitrary Police Fees for March (07/09/2007)
NEWARK - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and the Farmworkers' Support Committee today filed a lawsuit in federal district court against the city of Bridgeton for charging a fee of more than $1,500 for an immigrant rights March held on May 1.

ACLU, Teachers Union Settle Free Speech Lawsuit Against City of Boston (07/02/2007)
BOSTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the Boston Teachers Union today announced that they have settled a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of long-time substitute teacher Jeffrey Herman against Jose Duarte, the headmaster of Boston's English High School. Duarte put Herman on a "Do Not Call" substitute teacher list for English High School after Herman testified at a Boston City Council hearing against the city spending over one million dollars for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs in Boston public schools.

ACLU Urges Government to Stay Out of America’s Living Rooms: (06/26/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC - In light of today’s scheduled Senate Commerce Committee hearing on television violence, the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to reject any proposals that would allow the Federal Communications Commission to regulate violence on television. The American Civil Liberties Union is committed to preserving and protecting free speech and believes government should not replace parents as decision makers in America’s living rooms.

ACLU of Florida Demands Changes in Ordinance That Criminalizes and Denies Free Speech at Public Events (06/25/2007)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today called for changes to a controversial city ordinance that restrains free speech during public events.

ACLU Encourages Free Flow of Information To Journalists (06/14/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) commended the House Judiciary Committee as it considered legislation that would protect the First Amendment. Congressmen Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced the legislation, called Free Flow of Information Act, in May to protect journalists from having to reveal their confidential sources. Though the bill would protect journalists from subpoenas, it also includes a narrow exception that would allow a reporter to be compelled to reveal a source if there is an actual and imminent danger to national security or public safety.

ACLU Marks Fifth Anniversary of Ashcroft Surveillance Guidelines; Report Calls for Guidelines to be Changed to Prevent FBI Abuse (05/29/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today marked the fifth anniversary of the FBI’s 2002 revised Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise and Terrorism Enterprise Investigation with a new report, "History Repeated: The Dangers of Domestic Spying by Federal Law Enforcement."

ACLU Joins With Right-Left Groups To Welcome House Stand on First Amendment (05/25/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union praised the House for passing its version of the lobby reform bill without an amendment that would have infringed upon the First Amendment. The language of a grassroots lobbying amendment introduced by Representatives Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) was considered vague and would have undermined citizen advocacy and activism.

ACLU Decries Scientific Censorship at Smithsonian (05/23/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today denounced the Smithsonian Institution’s censorship of an Arctic climate change exhibit. Smithsonian scholars watered down a climate change report by scientists, believing it would cause a stir in Congress and the White House.

Following NYCLU Lawsuit, New York City Agrees To Reform Film Permit Scheme (05/23/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union hailed a settlement released today, in which New York City has agreed to create, for the first time, written rules governing the issuance of permits for film makers and photographers. Under the new rules, which are to be published Friday in the City Record, film makers and photographers using hand-held equipment no longer will be required to obtain city permits or to have $1 million of insurance.

ACLU Hails House Committee’s Stand for Free Speech (05/17/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union congratulated the House Judiciary Committee for rejecting a controversial amendment to lobbying reform legislation at a mark-up hearing today. Representatives Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) tried to attach a provision to the bill that would require registration and regulation of citizen campaigns that encourage the general public to lobby Congress. The ACLU believed the language of the amendment was vague and would undermine advocacy and activism, thereby violating the First Amendment.

In Victory for Free Expression, NYCLU and Restaurateur Send Uncensored Postcards Through U.S. Postal Service (05/15/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union joined renowned restaurateur Jean-Claude Baker on Tuesday to give a triumphant send-off to a batch of postcards that have been the subject of a free speech battle between Baker and the United States Postal Service.

ACLU Hails Reporter Shield Legislation (05/02/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) for introducing the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007. The proposed bill helps ensure the government is open to public scrutiny by protecting journalists’ access to confidential sources. It also prevents government officials from chilling those sources by preventing their disclosure unless there is an actual and imminent danger to national security or public safety.

Proposed Amendments to City Lobbying Law Threaten Individuals and Families Associated with Controversial Organizations, NYCLU Testifies (04/11/2007)
NEW YORK - In testimony before the New York City Council today, the New York Civil Liberties Union condemned proposed amendments to the city's lobbying law that would require the disclosure of personal information about lobbyists and their families.

ACLU Sues White House Staffers for Ejecting Denver Residents from Bush Event (03/15/2007)
DENVER, CO - The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a complaint against three White House staffers for illegally ejecting Denver residents from a taxpayer-funded town hall with President Bush, even though they had done nothing to disrupt the event. The residents, who have been dubbed the “Denver 3” by the media, were singled out because of an anti-war bumper sticker on their car