Home : Criminal Justice

High Court Agrees to Review Indiana Law Allowing Random Roadside Drug Searches (02/22/2000)
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court today agreed to review whether police can routinely set up traffic checkpoints with drug-sniffing dogs to stop motorists in a completely random effort to catch people who sell or use illegal drugs.

Chicago City Council Adopts New Gang Loitering Ordinance (02/16/2000)
CHICAGO -- It is disappointing and disheartening that a majority of the City Council today voted to reinstate the discredited gang loitering ordinance, an approach that failed both in the courts and on the streets.

ACLU Endorses New Legislation To Protect the Innocent on Death Row (02/11/2000)
"Countries that routinely provide nothing more than a sham defense for those who face execution are condemned by our government for human rights violations," said Diann Rust-Tierney, Director of the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project. "Yet today the only thing standing between many Americans and death row is an inexperienced, incompetent - or even a sleeping - lawyer. 

ACLU Settlement Victory Ends Homeless "Street Sweep" Law (02/02/2000)
CLEVELAND, OH -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today announced the successful resolution of its lawsuit against the City of Cleveland aimed at stopping the police from sweeping homeless people from downtown sidewalks.

ACLU of Illinois Testifies in Opposition to "Flawed" Gang Loitering Ordinance (02/02/2000)
CHICAGO, IL -- In an effort to reenergize the city's public debate about effective law enforcement strategies, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today appeared before the City Council Committee on Police and Fire to express opposition to renewed efforts to pass a gang loitering ordinance.

Supreme Court Defends Driver's License Privacy, But Fails to Protect "Man on the Street," ACLU Says (01/12/2000)
NEW YORK -- Ruling in two key cases today, the United States Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the validity of a federal law prohibiting states from disclosing driver's license information, but broadened the right of police to stop people on the street for questioning.

ACLU Questions Chicago's Plan to Return to Failed "Anti-Gang Loitering" Strategy (01/11/2000)
CHICAGO, IL -- Pointing to a lack of statistical evidence in support of its action and the absence of other serious anti-gang efforts, the ACLU of Illinois today questioned the City of Chicago's plan to reintroduce a so-called anti-gang loitering ordinance.

Parents Jailed for Children's Truancy (12/10/1999)
DETROIT - Parents whose children habitually skip school have always worried about their children's education and future. But now, in some states, they also have something else to worry about: going to jail.

"No-Knock" Warrant Resulting in Denver Man's Death Should Not Have Been Issued, ACLU Says (12/06/1999)
DENVER -- The no-knock search warrant that authorized a Denver police team to enter the home of Ismael Mena on September 29 should never have been issued, the ACLU said today.

In Vigil for Nathaniel Abraham, ACLU Says System Failed Troubled Child (11/23/1999)
DETROIT -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today joins our friends in the civil rights community, including Rev. Wendell Anthony, Rev. Al Sharpton, and attorney Geoffrey Fieger, in a vigil outside the facility where 13-year-old Nathaniel Abraham is being held pending his sentencing for second degree murder.

Groups Initiate Court Challenge to FBI Wiretap Standards; Say FCC Decision Threatens Communications Privacy (11/18/1999)
WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center today asked a federal appeals court to block new rules that would enable the FBI to dictate the design of the nation's communication infrastructure.

ACLU Applauds Los Angeles City Council for Opposing Youth Crime Measure (11/10/1999)
LOS ANGELES -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California applauds the Los Angeles City Council for today's nine-to-one vote in opposition to the Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Initiative (Proposition 21) that will appear on the March 2000 ballot.