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Immigrants' Rights Advocates And ACLU File Lawsuit To End Illegal Delays In Processing Citizenship Applications (04/01/2008)
PHILADELPHIA - Many immigrants who have satisfied the requirements to become U.S. citizens have been illegally left in limbo for years due to the slow processing of FBI "name checks," charged a lawsuit filed today in federal district court in Philadelphia against government officials responsible for the prolonged, system-wide delays. As a result of the lag in "name checks," hundreds or thousands of citizenship applications have been held up well past the 180-day window established by Congress for processing the applications.

Newly Unredacted Documents Confirm Lack Of Oversight Of Military's Domestic Surveillance Powers (04/01/2008)
NEW YORK - On the heels of an internal report criticizing the FBI for abusing its power to issue National Security Letters (NSLs), newly unredacted documents released today as a result of an American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union lawsuit reveal that the Department of Defense (DoD) is using the FBI to circumvent legal limits on its own NSL power and may have overstepped its authority to obtain private and sensitive records of people within the United States without court approval.

Secret Bush Administration Torture Memo Released Today In Response To ACLU Lawsuit (04/01/2008)
NEW YORK — A secret memo authored by the Department of Justice (DOJ) asserting that President Bush has unlimited power to order brutal interrogations to extract information from detainees was declassified today as a result of an American Civil Liberties Union Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The memo, written by John Yoo, then a deputy at the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), was sent to the Defense Department in March 2003.

South Carolina Stands Firm Against DHS and Real ID (03/31/2008)
WASHINGTON - The governor of South Carolina today issued a blistering critique of the Department of Homeland Security's national identification program, Real ID. The state is facing a DHS-imposed deadline to request that their drivers' licenses and ID cards continue to be accepted for federal purposes. South Carolina was one of seven states that passed legislation prohibiting participation in the Real ID program, yet five of those states have already been granted waivers on the statutory deadline.

ACLU Seeks Sanctions Against New Jersey DOC For Witness Tampering And Retaliation (03/26/2008)
TRENTON – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of New Jersey filed court papers today requesting that the New Jersey Superior Court impose sanctions against the New Jersey Department of Corrections (DOC) for witness tampering, official misconduct and violations of court rules. The ACLU’s motion for sanctions charges that the DOC obtained false and misleading statements from women prisoners about conditions in the prison in an attempt to defend the prison against claims of inhumane treatment. A female prisoner who exposed the DOC’s misconduct reports being beaten as a result.

Federal Court Hears Case Today of 13-Year-Old Student Strip Searched for Ibuprofen (03/26/2008)
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.

ACLU And MALDEF File Lawsuit Against Arizona Town Over Anti-Solicitation Law (03/25/2008)
PHOENIX – A local Arizona anti-solicitation ordinance targeting day laborers violates the free speech rights of individuals who express their availability to work by standing in public areas, charged the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in a lawsuit filed today in U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

Domestic Violence Survivor Asks International Tribunal To Hold U.S. Responsible For Human Rights Violations (03/25/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Law School's Human Rights Clinic filed a merits brief with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) detailing their charges that the U.S. broke international law in violating the human rights of a domestic violence survivor. The brief was filed on behalf of Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales), whose three daughters were kidnapped by her estranged husband and killed, and whose domestic violence protection claims were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

H&R Block Tells Gay Couples In Connecticut: “We Don’t Support Connecticut Civil Union Returns” (03/25/2008)
HARTFORD, CT – The American Civil Liberties Union sent a demand letter to H&R Block today demanding that it change its online tax preparation system to accommodate gay couples in Connecticut with civil unions. The ACLU is representing a couple with a civil union who attempted to file their taxes on the company’s website through their online service, TaxCut Online, but were told, “We don’t support Connecticut civil union returns.” Through its website, the company said the couple would have to work with one of their professionals, by phone or at one of their office locations, which would be more time consuming and substantially more expensive.

Wisconsin Court Upholds Discipline of Pharmacist Who Refused to Refill Birth Control Pill Prescription (03/25/2008)
MADISON - The American Civil Liberties Union said today's decision by a Wisconsin court allowing the state's discipline of a pharmacist who refused to refill a prescription for birth control pills strikes an important balance between religious liberty and women's health.

ACLU's StandUp Teams Up with Nationally Syndicated Cartoonist Matt Bors (03/24/2008)
NEW YORK –Today, the American Civil Liberties Union announced the launch of Civil Discourse, a bi-weekly comic strip created for the ACLU by nationally syndicated cartoonist Matt Bors. Civil Discourse is part of the ACLU’s StandUp campaign, an ongoing project that educates younger audiences about today’s pressing civil liberties issues. The strip can be seen online at www.aclu.org/StandUp

Georgia Appeals Court Overturns Contempt Conviction of Lesbian Mother (03/24/2008)
ATLANTA - A long nightmare has ended for Elizabeth Hadaway, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court last year for not handing her daughter over to foster care after she lost custody solely because she's a lesbian. A year and one day after a county court judge sentenced Hadaway to 10 days in jail, the Georgia Court of Appeals today overturned her contempt conviction. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented her in the appeal and secured the little girl's return home from foster care last May, applauded the court's decision.

High Court Refuses to Review Arizona Prison’s Abortion Policy (03/24/2008)
Washington, DC - The United States Supreme Court announced today that it would not review a lower court decision preventing prison officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, from interfering with women prisoners’ access to timely, safe, and legal abortion care.

ACLU Mourns Marvin Johnson (03/21/2008)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed its deep sorrow over the death of First Amendment Counsel Marvin Johnson, who passed away last night after a long battle with complications from diabetes. Before he joined the Washington Legislative Office in March 2000, he served as the Executive Director of the ACLU of Wyoming and before that as its board chair.

Civil Rights Coalition Charges That Republished "No Match" Rule Will Hurt American Workers (03/21/2008)
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today reissued a "no match" rule with no substantial changes that would continue to put American and other authorized workers at risk of losing their jobs. If the newly released DHS rule were to take effect, it would still improperly use social security records for immigration enforcement.

Montana and DHS Go to Eye-to-Eye, and DHS Blinks (03/21/2008)
WASHINGTON – In the strongest confirmation yet that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is caving in to state resistance on the Real ID Act, DHS today agreed not to enforce the requirements of the Real ID Act on the state of Montana, even though the state has passed a law prohibiting implementation. To date, nearly a dozen states have received extensions without committing to comply with the act – including three states in which the legislatures have actually passed statutes barring compliance. In other cases, DHS has granted extensions despite explicit statements disclaiming any intention of complying.

Passport Security Breaches Show Privacy Vulnerabilities (03/21/2008)

ACLU Urges Konica Minolta Not to Terminate Domestic Partner Health Insurance of 9/11 Survivor (03/19/2008)
Boise, Idaho – Seeking to maintain health insurance for a 9/11 survivor, the American Civil Liberties Union today sent a demand letter to the New Jersey offices of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (KMBS) urging the company to interpret its policy on domestic partner health insurance so that more employees will have access to the insurance. KMBS currently interprets its policy as requiring employees to re-register as domestic partners with the state every time that they move, even though many states have no way for same-sex partners to do so.

Department of Transportation Completes Investigation of JetBlue (03/19/2008)
Summary of DOT investigation findings re Jarrar's claims against JetBlue.

Department of Transportation Completes Investigation of JetBlue (03/19/2008)