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ACLU of New Jersey Successfully Defends Republican Candidates' Right to Political Speech (02/10/2005)
NEWARK - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey announced today that it successfully obtained a court order dismissing a libel suit filed against the Piscataway Republican Organization and its recent slate of candidates for township offices. The lawsuit against the Republicans was filed by the Piscataway Democratic Organization and centered on language used on campaign billboards and fliers.

ACLU of Colorado Supports Free Speech Rights of University Professor Ward Churchill (02/07/2005)
DENVER -- The First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution protects University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill's right to speak or write his opinions and it protects the rights of his detractors to say they do not like what he wrote or said. The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado stands firmly for these rights of free speech.

9/11 Victims' Families and National Security Whistleblowers Demand End to Government Silencing of Employees Who Expose Security Risks (01/26/2005)
WASHINGTON- An unprecedented group of national security whistleblowers and family members of 9/11 victims gathered today to demand that the government stop silencing employees who expose national security blunders and called on Congress to hold hearings into the government's actions against whistleblowers.

Justice Department Refuses to Defend Congress in Legal Battle Over Law Censoring Marijuana Policy Ads (01/26/2005)
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice has notified Congress that it will not defend a law prohibiting the display of marijuana policy reform ads in public transit systems. The controversial statute was recently ruled unconstitutional by a federal district court. The Solicitor General Paul Clement stated in a letter to Congress that, ""the government does not have a viable argument to advance in the statute's defense and will not appeal the district court's decision."" Today is Congress' last day to respond to the federal appeals court in the D.C. Circuit.

ACLU Says Texas Police Violated Art Gallery Owner's Freedom of Expression (01/11/2005)
DALLAS-The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas today announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the city of Pilot Point and its police department, charging that police officers violated an art gallery owner's freedom of expression by coercing him to remove a mural depicting the biblical story of Eve.

ACLU Criticizes City's Ban on Rap and Hip-Hop Music at Rhode Island Nightclub (12/18/2004)
WARWICK, RI--The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today criticized the Warwick Board of Public Safety's decision to ban a local nightclub from hosting hip-hop or rap music events in response to a shooting that took place at the club earlier this month.

Massachusetts Transit Agency Violated Free Speech Rights by Rejecting Marijuana Policy Reform Ads, Federal Court Rules (12/09/2004)
BOSTON -- Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts declared a First Amendment victory today in a federal appeals court ruling that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority violated free speech rights by refusing to display subway advertisements encouraging public discussion about marijuana policies and laws. However, the ACLU criticized a separate ruling that upheld the transit agency's decision to reject ads submitted by a Christian church group.

ACLU of Alabama Condemns Proposed Bill that Would Ban State Funds for Lesbian and Gay Books (12/02/2004)
BIRMINGHAM, AL - The bill proposed by Representative Gerald Allen that would ban books about gay and lesbian people from public libraries is bad public policy, unconstitutional and just plain wrong. If passed, Alabama's libraries would be robbed of works by celebrated authors such as Herman Melville, Tennessee Williams, Willa Cather, Carson McCullers, John Cheever, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal, to name a few on what will be a very long list.

ACLU Settles Lawsuit Challenging Censorship Policies in Colorado Prisons (11/30/2004)
DENVER--The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado announced today that it has settled its lawsuit challenging the state's broad censorship of books, newspapers, magazines, and political commentary available to prisoners.

Fear of FCC Leads Some Stations to Pull "Private Ryan" on Veterans Day; ACLU Warns of Chilling Effect on Freedom of Speech (11/11/2004)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed its disappointment by the decision of several ABC stations to refuse to broadcast an unedited version of the movie "Saving Private Ryan." Those stations had cited concerns over potential indecency - and subsequent Federal Communications Commission fines - within the film. The movie was to be broadcast to commemorate Veterans Day.

ACLU of New Jersey Secures Right of Army Officer to Display Political Lawn Sign (10/31/2004)
NEWARK, NJ - In response to complaints from an army officer, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today announced that the Borough of Haddon Heights has agreed not to ban the display of political signs on residents' lawns.

ACLU of Ohio Will Defend GOP Chairman in Political Yard Sign Case (10/14/2004)
CLEVELAND -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio announced today that it will represent Summit County's Republican Party Chairman Alex Arshinkoff and his wife in their battle with the city of Hudson over a 4x8-foot Bush-Cheney campaign sign currently posted in their front yard.

Kansas City FBI Agents Attempted to Chill ACLU Official's Free Speech Rights (10/12/2004)
KANSAS CITY, MO - In a complaint letter filed today with the Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City FBI office, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri charged that FBI agents with the local Joint Terrorism Task Force exercised ""poor judgment"" in an effort to intimidate Executive Director Dick Kurtenbach after he publicly criticized its ethnic and racial profiling activities.

ACLU of Nebraska Charges State Patrol and FBI with Violating Free Speech Rights of ACLU Official (10/05/2004)
LINCOLN, NE - The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska today said that it has charged a state patrol official and an agent of the FBI with making ""thinly veiled threats"" that were designed to intimidate or coerce Executive Director Tim Butz from exercising his First Amendment rights. Butz has filed a complaint with the State Patrol over the matter, and is planning a similar filing with the FBI's Office of Professional Accountability.

Three Michigan Municipalities Agree to Protect Free Speech Rights of Their Residents (09/22/2004)
DETROIT - The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan announced today that several municipalities in western Michigan have agreed not to enforce ordinances that violate the First Amendment by limiting the rights of individuals to display political signs on their private property.

Atlanta Property Owner Challenges "Big Brother" as Art Critic (09/21/2004)
ATLANTA--The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of an Atlanta resident and commercial property owner challenging the constitutionality of parts of the city's graffiti and public art ordinances that prohibit businesses and individuals from commissioning art murals for their own buildings. The lawsuit does not challenge that part of the law that makes it a crime to "tag" (place graffiti on) a building without the owner's consent.

ACLU Urges Detroit to Uphold the First Amendment Rights of City Council Members (09/17/2004)
DETROIT- In a letter sent today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan urged Detroit's office of Corporation Counsel not to file a potential ethics complaint against three members of the Detroit City Council for speaking out during a town hall meeting in support of laid-off city and school workers.

ACLU of Ohio Tells City Officials Their Political Sign Ordinances Unnecessarily Restrict Free Speech (09/08/2004)
CLEVELAND- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today sent demand letters to city officials in Fairlawn and Kent regarding their political yard sign ordinances.

ACLU Calls on Rhode Island College to Revise Policies Infringing on Free Speech Rights (09/08/2004)
PROVIDENCE, RI-On the heels of a recently publicized discrimination complaint against a professor at Rhode Island College, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today called on the college to immediately revise school policies that infringe on First Amendment rights by prohibiting ""hate speech.""

ACLU of Hawaii Sues State, Saying Broadly Worded "Squatters Law" Curtails Right to Use Public Spaces (09/07/2004)
HONOLULU--The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Governor Linda Lingle and Attorney General Mark Bennett, saying that a recently enacted trespass statute is unconstitutional and gives public officials overly broad powers to ban individuals from using public spaces such as beaches, streets or sidewalks.