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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)

Dismal High School Graduation Rates Violate Florida Constitution, Says ACLU Lawsuit (03/18/2008)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- Charging that shamefully low high school graduation rates demonstrate a violation of students’ constitutional right to a high quality education, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a first-of-its-kind class action lawsuit today against the Palm Beach County School District. It is estimated that as many as one in three Palm Beach County students does not graduate on time with a regular diploma, a figure that is well below both the state and national averages. This case is the first legal challenge in the country that focuses on the issue of low graduation rates and that requires a school district to graduate more of its students.

Dismal High School Graduation Rate Violates Florida Constitution, Says ACLU (03/18/2008)

ACLU Of Oregon Urges Appeals Court To Reject Patriot Act Search And Surveillance Provisions (03/17/2008)
PORTLAND, OR – The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon filed a friend-of-the-court brief today urging a federal appeals court to affirm a lower court’s decision to strike down two search and surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. The case was brought by Oregon lawyer Brandon Mayfield against the federal government after the FBI mistakenly linked him to the Madrid train bombings in 2004. The lower court found that secret searches of Mayfield’s house and office violated the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure.

ACLU Urges High Court to Uphold Free Speech Ruling (03/17/2008)
Washington, DC - The Court announced this morning that it will hear an appeal of a lower court ruling in FCC v. Fox Television Stations, et al. that found the FCC failed to provide adequate justification for its regulations governing the broadcast of "fleeting expletives." The Department of Justice is appealing that decision on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Terror Watch Lists are Unworkable (03/17/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) comments on a report on Terror Watch lists released today from the Office of the Inspector of the Department of Justice. The following can be attributed to Timothy Sparapani, Senior Legislative Counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union.

ACLU Announces Winners of 2008 Youth Activist Scholarship (03/14/2008)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today announced the winners of its 2008 Youth Activist Scholarship contest. Fifteen high school seniors from across the country will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship in recognition of their outstanding work to protect civil liberties, especially for young people.

ACLU Appeals Dismissal Of Extraordinary Rendition Lawsuit Against Boeing Subsidiary (03/14/2008)
SAN JOSE, CA - The American Civil Liberties Union today announced it will appeal a federal court decision to throw out a lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan for its role in the CIA’s “extraordinary rendition” program. Mohamed et al. v. Jeppesen, filed by the ACLU on behalf of five victims of the rendition program, was dismissed in February after the government intervened, once again misusing the “state secrets” privilege to avoid legal scrutiny of an unlawful program.

ACLU Asks Appeals Court To Affirm Decision Striking Down Patriot Act ”National Security Letter” Provision (03/14/2008)
NEW YORK - In a brief filed under seal on Monday and unsealed yesterday, the American Civil Liberties Union urged a federal appellate court to uphold a lower court decision striking down the National Security Letter (NSL) provision of the Patriot Act. The provision gives the FBI the authority to issue letters demanding private information about people within the United States, and to place the recipients of the letters under indefinite gag order. A report released on Thursday by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed widespread, systemic abuse of the NSL power by the FBI.

Senate Budget Resolution a Setback for Minorities in the Workplace (03/14/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union expressed its disappointment with yesterday’s Senate adoption of Senator Lamar Alexander’s (R-TN) amendment to the budget resolution. The amendment rolls back federal civil rights enforcement authority created in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Alexander amendment cuts funds allocated to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to prosecute workplace discrimination based on national origin, and redirects the funds to the Department of Education for English language training. Yesterday the Senate also passed an amendment offered by Sen. Kennedy to increase funding for English language training by $1 million.

The House Stands Up to Scare Tactics, House Votes to Let Consumers Have Their Day in Court (03/14/2008)
Washington, DC – The bruising battle over domestic surveillance that has been red hot since August took a dramatic turn today as the U.S. House of Representatives refused to bow to the president’s scare tactics. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) commends the Members of the House for standing up to the president and for allowing Americans to have their day in court against telecommunications companies that released private information to the government without a warrant.

ACLU Lauds Introduction of House State Secrets Bill (03/13/2008)
Washington, DC – Legislation introduced today may give a much-needed reprieve to those who have sued the government and encountered the state secrets privilege. The legislation, introduced by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), would establish appropriate limits on the use of the state secrets privilege. The Bush administration has misused the privilege to halt several important lawsuits against the government, including an ACLU case involving the extraordinary rendition of an innocent German citizen, Khaled El-Masri. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

ACLU Sues To Uncover Records Detailing Torture And Abuse Of Guantánamo Prisoners (03/13/2008)
WASHINGTON – Decrying the U.S. government’s failure to comply with its records request, the American Civil Liberties Union is filing a federal lawsuit today to force the government to release un-redacted transcripts in which 14 prisoners now held at Guantánamo Bay describe abuse and torture they suffered in CIA custody. The ACLU’s lawsuit, which raises claims under the First Amendment and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), follows a FOIA request seeking the uncensored transcripts from Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) that determine if prisoners held by the Defense Department at Guantánamo qualify as “enemy combatants.”

Don’t Follow Bush/Cheney Playbook on Domestic Spying, ACLU Statement on House FISA Vote (03/13/2008)
Washington, DC – A vote on the Democratic House leadership’s proposal to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is scheduled for this afternoon. Below is a statement that can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the Washington Legislative Office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on that vote:

FBI Audit Exposes Widespread Abuse Of Patriot Act Powers (03/13/2008)
WASHINGTON – A report released today by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on the FBI’s use of National Security Letters (NSLs) reveals a systemic, widespread abuse of power. The FBI’s authority to issue NSLs was widely expanded by the USA Patriot Act and it has been increasingly used to collect private information on American citizens without court approval. Today’s audit follows a report released last year that found serious breaches of department regulations and multiple potential violations of the law.

Washington Legislative Office Hires New State Legislative Counsel (03/13/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union recently welcomed Larry Frankel as the new State Legislative Counsel for the Washington Legislative Office. Frankel oversees the WLO State Legislative Department, which provides support to the 53 ACLU affiliate offices across the country. The State Legislative Department bolsters the ACLU’s work in state legislatures by analyzing legislation, providing background research, offering legislative strategy and acting as a liaison between policy experts and ACLU state lobbyists working on the ground.