ACLU Response to Executive Orders on Crime Task Forces

In 2023, public reporting revealed that a group of sheriff’s deputies in Rankin County, Mississippi, had been terrorizing the County’s residents for nearly two decades. The deputies, who called themselves the “Goon Squad,” used torture, violence, and other abusive practices to coerce confessions and extract or manufacture evidence. The Rankin County District Attorney’s Office (RCDAO), in turn, used the Goon Squad used that evidence to prosecute many people. Seeking to understand whether the RCDAO has taken any actions to address the Goon Squad’s misconduct since it became public, the ACLU of Mississippi and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a public records request with the RCDAO. But the RCDAO refused to produce any documents other than a self-serving press statement. Accordingly, the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative, along with the ACLU of Mississippi and the Center for Constitutional Rights, filed suit arguing that the RCDAO’s failure to produce responsive records violates the Mississippi Public Records Act.

BRANDON, Miss. – The ACLU of Mississippi and the Center for Constitutional Rights, with support from the American Civil Liberties Union’s State Supreme Court Initiative, today filed a public records lawsuit seeking information about the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office’s handling of criminal legal cases in which sheriff deputies had engaged in a pattern of misconduct and abuse for nearly two decades. In 2023, news reports exposed a years-long pattern of torture, extreme violence, and other abusive practices by deputies in the Sheriff’s Office to coerce confessions and manufacture evidence for criminal prosecutions. These deputies, who called themselves the “Goon Squad,” were responsible for profound suffering by the local community, including numerous wrongful convictions. Following the revelations, the civil rights organizations filed a request under the Mississippi Public Records Act (MPRA) to the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office, which was responsible for criminally prosecuting many of the cases tainted by the Goon Squad. The request sought records relating to any actions the office took in response to the exposed police misconduct. But the District Attorney’s office initially refused to disclose any documents related to its response to the misconduct revelations and later disclosed only one email to a journalist. This is a direct violation of the MPRA. “Given the documented and admitted misconduct of multiple Rankin County officers, which spans the course of two decades, the lack of transparency is deeply troubling, said Ayanna Hill, racial justice staff attorney with the ACLU of Mississippi. “Extraordinary measures should not be required to obtain records that, by law, belong to the public.” The lawsuit alleges that the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office is withholding public records that the state public records law requires it to disclose. It also highlights that the District Attorney’s claim, that there are no records responsive to several of the specific requests, contradicted by the office’s public statements that it conducted an “extensive review” of cases potentially tainted by the Goon Squad. Center for Constitutional Rights Justice Fellow and Attorney Korbin Felder notes that, “In the wake of the largest law enforcement scandal in the county’s history, the District Attorney’s office should have created a transparent process of disclosing records and reviewing all cases involving these officers. Rather than providing the citizens of Rankin County and the victims of law enforcement abuse the transparency and accountability they deserve, the District Attorney’s office continues to insist that the public and the victims are not entitled to such.” The public records lawsuit asks the court to compel the release of several categories of records, including a list of cases with Goon Squad involvement, policies related to disclosing exculpatory evidence, any documented actions taken in response to the revelations, and communications between the District Attorney’s Office and members of the Goon Squad, among others. “The Rankin County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted and convicted people with the Goon Squad’s help. It should be eager to provide the public with information about what it’s doing to address that injustice, but instead it is unlawfully withholding all of its records except one self-serving statement to the press,” said Terry Ding, staff attorney with the ACLU State Supreme Court Initiative. “The public has a right to know how their public officials respond to cases of severe police misconduct.”

AUSTIN, Texas – Travis County signed a settlement agreement last Friday that ensures every person arrested and facing incarceration in the county is provided with an attorney at their first criminal court appearance. The executed settlement agreement will resolve a federal class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas last year on behalf of people jailed in Travis County without access to counsel. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, ACLU and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP filed the lawsuit in April 2024. “This settlement agreement ensures that everyone arrested and facing jail time in Travis County will now have a lawyer when they first appear in front of a judge, regardless of their ability to afford one,” said Savannah Kumar (she/they), staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas. “This is both a constitutional right and a matter of basic dignity. People who cannot afford to purchase their freedom by posting bail often face the devastating consequences of losing their jobs, housing, and custody of their children. Now, people who are arrested will have a lawyer by their side to advocate for fair release conditions and preserve their rights.” For years, people in Travis County who could not afford a lawyer were required to attend their first appearance in court without legal representation. At these critical hearings, magistrate judges frequently asked questions about facts related to their alleged crimes, such as relationships with witnesses and other details that could later jeopardize people’s cases. Without an attorney present, individuals were left to navigate this precarious, high-stakes, and unfamiliar legal process on their own. “This agreement affirms what the Constitution has always required: No one should stand alone before a judge when their liberty is at stake without a lawyer by their side,” said Brandon Buskey (he/him), director of the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project. “Guaranteeing counsel at first appearance upholds the core values of due process and fairness that define our justice system. For our plaintiffs, and every person who enters a Travis County courtroom in the future, this settlement ensure that justice will no longer depend on whether someone can afford a lawyer.” The ACLU has previously secured court orders requiring counsel at first appearance in Galveston County, Texas, and Alamance County, North Carolina; and has asserted similar arguments in litigation pending in Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah. “Today’s signed settlement agreement is a major victory for our community,” said Alfredo Reyes Jr (he/they), an organizer at VOCAL-TX GROW. “People won’t be left to suffer in jail for weeks or months like I have, simply because they didn’t have an attorney. I’m grateful that others will now have a real chance to stay stable — keeping their housing, their health care, and their lives on track instead of languishing in jail. We’re thankful to everyone who worked so hard to make this happen.” The signing comes after the Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to approve the settlement in November. See the ACLU's Travis County court watching report and the problems experienced for people who did not have legal representation here: https://www.aclutx.org/app/uploads/2024/04/aclutx_-_detention_hearings_without_lawyers.pdf Access the settlement agreement here: https://www.aclutx.org/app/uploads/2025/12/Fully-Executed-CAFA_FINAL-Settlement-Agreement-Counsel-at-Magistration-in-Travis-County_Texas1317260.1.pdf

WASHINGTON – President Trump announced today that he will direct executive agencies to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, recognizing that marijuana has accepted medical uses and a lower potential for dependence. Marijuana is currently classified alongside substances such as heroin, and rescheduling would instead place it alongside medications like Tylenol with codeine. The announcement follows years of advocacy directed at many administrations, expanding scientific research, and widespread state-level reforms. “Today’s announcement is a significant step toward aligning federal marijuana policy with science, evidence, and the realities on the ground in states across the country,” said Nina Patel, senior policy counsel at the ACLU. “Congress must now pass the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) to ensure justice for the people and communities harmed by the war on drugs. These federal bills would remove federal criminal penalties for marijuana, provide criminal history record clearing, and necessary investments in communities disproportionately targeted for criminalization. The ACLU will continue the fight to end unjust and punitive drug polices for everyone and the creation of a more perfect union for all.”