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Justice in Crisis: Venango County, PA's Indigent Defense System Fact Sheet and Report Synopsis (06/07/2001)
Following is an overview of the situation in Venango County, including a synopsis of key information in the Hartman report and a look at how Pennsylvania's public defenders system compares with others around the country. 

Citing Report, ACLU and NACDL Say Defense of Poor Is in Jeopardy in Venango County, PA (06/07/2001)
PITTSBURGH--A nationally recognized expert's review of the Venango County Public Defender Program reveals a system in crisis that is failing to provide adequate counsel to the poor, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers said today. 

ACLU Finds Ashcroft Death Penalty Position Switch Remarkable and Unbelievable (06/06/2001)
WASHINGTON - In a remarkable -- and frankly unbelievable -- switch of positions, the Justice Department today said that there was no significant racial and geographic disparity in the imposition of the death penalty by the federal government. 

MO's Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Closes $32 Million Loophole That Let Police Divert Education Funds (05/17/2001)
ST. LOUIS--A measure to reform Missouri's Civil Asset Forfeiture Act (CAFA) to ensure that police departments deposit seized assets into a public education fund, as required by the Missouri Constitution, will be signed into law today by Governor Bob Holden in Jefferson City. 

ACLU Says McVeigh Error Highlights Larger Problems; Says Errors Widespread in Capital Punishment Trials (05/11/2001)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today said that the FBI's failure to turn over thousands of potentially crucial documents to defense attorneys for Timothy McVeigh highlights systemic problems with the administration of the death penalty in the United States. 

ACLU Wins Higher Legal Standards for Gang Injunctions (05/10/2001)
SAN DIEGO -- The California Court of Appeal ruled today that prosecutors must first prove through clear and convincing evidence that a young man is a gang member before using an anti-gang injunction to restrict his right to engage in everyday activities.

More Tainted Testimony from Oklahoma Forensics Lab (05/08/2001)
McALESTER, OK-- An investigation into improper testimony from Oklahoma City police chemist Joyce Gilchrist has provided more evidence that Oklahoma's criminal justice system is broken.

Court Strikes Down NJ City's Curfew (05/04/2001)
Today's decision by Judge Kenneth S. Levy, barred enforcement of the curfew. Levy held that exceptions to the curfew were so vague that they failed to inform people what conduct would be prohibited and what would not be permitted. 

California Highway Patrol Bans Consent Searches Following Review of Data Collection Showing Discriminatory Pattern (04/19/2001)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the California Highway Patrol (CHP) decision to issue an order mandating a six-month moratorium on consent searches. The mandate came in response to a review of a data collection process that revealed racially discriminatory search rates. 

ACLU and Religious Groups Bring Constitutional Challenge to CA Governor's "No Parole" Policy (04/18/2001)
SAN FRANCISCO--Three religious denominations represented by the American Civil Liberties Union affiliates of Northern and Southern California filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of a man who is challenging Governor Gray Davis' decision to deny him parole. 

ACLU Statement on the Execution of Timothy McVeigh (04/16/2001)
WASHINGTON--The impending execution of Timothy McVeigh should not and will not derail the growing call for a moratorium on federal executions. 

Amtrak Helps DEA Hunt Drug Couriers (04/11/2001)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- Amtrak is providing federal drug police here with ticketing information about passengers -- and Amtrak police get 10 percent of any cash seized from suspected drug couriers at the Downtown station, the Albuquerque Journal reported.