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Rhode Island ACLU Report Finds Police Departments in Violation of Racial Profiling Law (10/31/2007)
PROVIDENCE - Almost half of the police departments in Rhode Island that are required to post their police complaint forms and procedures online have failed to do so, according to a report released today by the Rhode Island ACLU. The requirement, contained in the Racial Profiling Prevention Act of 2004, was designed to make it easier for victims of police misconduct to file complaints with departments.

ACLU In Court Today to Challenge U.S. Exclusion of Renowned Muslim Scholar (10/25/2007)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union appeared before a federal district court today to challenge the government's exclusion from the U.S. of renowned Swiss scholar Tariq Ramadan. The group charged that Ramadan, a leading European academic whose work addresses critical issues including Muslim identity and the role of Islam in democratic societies, has been banned due to his political viewpoints.

Case Against Largest U.S. Muslim Charity for Supporting Terrorism Results in Mistrial (10/22/2007)
DALLAS -- A federal judge declared a mistrial today in the criminal case against the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) and five of its former top officials. In 2001, HLF, then the nation's largest Muslim charity, was shut down when the government accused it of providing "material support" for terrorism. The government later charged it with having provided funds to local "zakat" committees that provide humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, alleging that the committees were run by Hamas.

NYCLU Releases NYPD Firearms Discharge Report, Calls on NYPD to Reveal Race of Shooting Victims (10/22/2007)
NEW YORK - In a letter sent this morning to New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, the New York Civil Liberties Union called on the NYPD to release documents identifying the race of all people shot by the police, as well as all of the annual reports the NYPD has compiled about its shooting practices.

Government Improperly Invokes "State Secrets" Claim in Attempt to Throw Out CIA Rendition Case Against Boeing Subsidiary (10/19/2007)
NEW YORK -- Claiming "state secrets" are at stake, the U.S. government today requested the dismissal of a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against Boeing Company subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. for its participation in the CIA's unlawful "extraordinary rendition" program.

Jena 6 Hearing a Step in the Right Direction to End School-to-Prison Pipeline (10/16/2007)
Washington, DC – The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing today to examine violence in public schools in light of the Jena Six case, a move the American Civil Liberties Union hopes will inspire Congress to fix the racial disparities in the juvenile and criminal justice system exemplified by the unfair treatment of the six Louisiana students. Specifically, the ACLU hopes Congress will examine the systemic funneling of students from schools into the juvenile and criminal justice systems, known as the school to prison pipeline.

Verizon Admits Turning Over Customer Records to the Federal Government (10/16/2007)
PORTLAND, ME -- The Maine Civil Liberties Union expressed outrage today at Verizon's revelation that it has turned over the phone records of U.S. customers to the federal government without a warrant hundreds of times since 2005. Verizon is asserting that the acquisition of its operations by Fairpoint will remove the state's jurisdiction over any privacy violations it may have committed.

Hundreds of New Documents Reveal Expanded Military Role in Domestic Surveillance (10/14/2007)
NEW YORK – New documents uncovered as a result of an American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union lawsuit reveal that the Department of Defense secretly issued hundreds of national security letters (NSLs) to obtain private and sensitive records of people within the United States without court approval. A comprehensive analysis of 455 NSLs issued after 9/11 shows that the Defense Department seems to have collaborated with the FBI to circumvent the law, may have overstepped its legal authority to obtain financial and credit records, provided misleading information to Congress, and silenced NSL recipients from speaking out about the records requests, according to the ACLU.

Nevada Coalition to End the Death Penalty and ACLU of Nevada Request Stay of Scheduled Execution (10/12/2007)
RENO, NV - The Nevada Coalition to End the Death Penalty (NCADP) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada sent a letter to Governor Jim Gibbons, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court and Director of Corrections Howard Skolnik to request a stay of execution of William Castillo scheduled for Monday, October 15, 2007. Castillo volunteered to be executed.

Supreme Court Declines Case of Innocent CIA Kidnapping Victim Khaled El-Masri (10/09/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed its disappointment with the United States Supreme Court's decision not to review the case of Khaled El-Masri, an innocent victim of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program.

ACLU Sharply Condemns Bush Administration’s Secret Torture Memos (10/04/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today sharply condemned the secret endorsement by the Justice Department of the most barbaric interrogation practices ever used by the CIA. The secret memos justifying the use of torture are at odds with public assurances by both the White House and the Justice Department that "abhorrent" torture methods would not be used on terror suspects. The memos also appear to be a cynical attempt to shield interrogators from criminal liability and to perpetuate the administration's unlawful interrogation practices. One legal opinion, which gave explicit authorization to abuse terror suspects with a disturbing mix of physical and psychological interrogation practices including waterboarding, was approved in 2005 and reported by the New York Times today.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Review NSA Warrantless Wiretapping Case (10/03/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a legal challenge to the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance activities. The case was filed on behalf of prominent journalists, scholars, attorneys and national advocacy organizations charging that the government's illegal surveillance activities disrupt their ability to communicate effectively with sources and clients. Although the groups submitted uncontested evidence that the government's illegal surveillance activities had compromised their ability to do their jobs, an appeals court dismissed the case last July because the plaintiffs could not state with certainty that they had been wiretapped by the National Security Agency.

Citing History of Discrimination, ACLU of Virginia Asks Richmond City Council to Reject Appointed School Board (10/01/2007)
RICHMOND, VA— The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today is asking Richmond City Council to reject attempts by a group of local civic and business leaders to eliminate the city’s elected school board in favor of an appointed one.

ACLU Sues Maryland State Police for Withholding Public Records and Overcharging for Documents Related to "Driving While Black" Lawsuit (09/26/2007)
TOWSON, MD – Charging that the Maryland State Police (MSP) are flouting the letter and spirit of the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), the American Civil Liberties Union teamed with Venable, LLP to file a lawsuit today against the MSP for improperly withholding records and imposing excessive costs for records it is producing. The case was filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court on behalf of the Maryland State Conference of NAACP Branches in order to force MSP to produce information and documents relating to its compliance with a federal court order in the organizations’ "Driving While Black" litigation.

ACLU Sues Over Exclusion of South African Democracy Scholar from U.S. (09/25/2007)
BOSTON – The Departments of State and Homeland Security are illegally blocking South African scholar Adam Habib from entering the U.S. under circumstances that suggest it is because of his political views, according to a lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Massachusetts. Censorship at the border prevents U.S. citizens and residents from hearing speech that is protected by the First Amendment, the ACLU charges.

ACLU Cheers DOD Amendment Restoring Habeas Corpus Due Process Rights (09/19/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union applauds today’s Senate vote of 56 to 43 on a procedural motion related to an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would restore habeas corpus rights. It is now clear that with a majority of senators voting for the amendment, habeas restoration is not only needed, but also desired by the Senate. To restore Habeas Corpus for those detained by the United States (S.AMDT. 2022), offered by Senators Specter (R-PA), Leahy (D-VT) and Dodd (D-CT), would restore the constitutional due process right of habeas corpus that was stripped away by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA).

ACLU Urges House Panel to Get Answers From Spy Chief, Says FISA Legislation Needs to Be Fixed, Not Misrepresented (09/18/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the House Judiciary Committee to grill the Director of National Intelligence Michael "Mike" McConnell at a hearing on recently passed wiretapping legislation. The law, inaccurately named the "Protect America Act," caused public outcry when it was rushed through Congress before the August recess and overhauled the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The hearing was McConnell’s first appearance before Congress after misleading a Senate panel regarding the role the new law played in foiling a terror plot in Germany.

Treatment of Jena Six Raises Questions of Racial Injustice (09/14/2007)
JENA, LA – The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed concern about the possibility of racially-motivated unequal treatment in the Jena Six case, in which six black high school students were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder for fighting with a white student last year in Jena, Louisiana. Although some of the charges were later reduced to aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, one student still faces an attempted murder charge and up to 50 years in prison without suspension, probation or parole. Mychal Bell, the only member of the Jena Six to be tried so far, was convicted of aggravated battery in July and could face a 15 year prison sentence.

ACLU Applauds House Judiciary Action to Restore Habeas Corpus (09/06/2007)
Subcommittee marks up bill restoring habeas rights to Guantanamo detainees

Federal Court Strikes Down National Security Letter Provision of Patriot Act (09/06/2007)
NEW YORK - A federal court today struck down the amended Patriot Act's National Security Letter (NSL) provision. The law has permitted the FBI to issue NSLs demanding private information about people within the United States without court approval, and to gag those who receive NSLs from discussing them. The court found that the gag power was unconstitutional and that because the statute prevented courts from engaging in meaningful judicial review of gags, it violated the First Amendment and the principle of separation of powers.