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Landmark Settlement Reached in Notorious School Drug Raid Caught on Tape (07/11/2006)
GOOSE CREEK, SC -- The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that a federal court has approved a landmark settlement in its lawsuit challenging police tactics in the high-profile drug raid of Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. The settlement includes a consent decree that sets a new standard for students’ rights to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

ACLU of Ohio Encouraged by Lawmakers’ Approval of State DNA Testing Bill (05/18/2006)
COLUMBUS, OH -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today said it was pleased by the passage of State Senate Bill 262 by the Ohio House, which extends the window of opportunity for convicted criminals to petition the state to test DNA evidence to prove their innocence. The bill received widespread support from criminal justice advocates, law enforcement and various legislators.

NYCLU Joins State Senator Tom Duane in Challenging Expansion of State's DNA Database (05/15/2006)
ALBANY, NY - At a news conference in Albany today, the New York Civil Liberties Union stood with State Senator Tom Duane as he called for answers to questions about legislation that would expand the state's DNA database to include DNA from all persons convicted of any crime, including non-violent felonies and misdemeanors.

ACLU Opposes Constitutionally Flawed Death Penalty Legislation, Proposed Changes Would Violate Eighth Amendment’s Protections (03/30/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union signaled its opposition today to the Death Penalty Reform Act of 2006 (DPRA), which is being considered in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. This bill would violate the Eighth Amendment by allowing for the execution of persons with mental retardation, and by making virtually every crime resulting in death and involving a firearm eligible for the death penalty.

Groups Urge Ohio Supreme Court to Ensure Children Have Access to Lawyers (03/09/2006)
COLUMBUS, OH – The American Civil Liberties Union, the Children’s Law Center, the ACLU of Ohio, and the Office of the Ohio Public Defender today filed a petition urging the state Supreme Court to better protect the right to counsel for children accused of a crime.

NYCLU Sues Police Over Wrongful Arrest of Teachers (03/05/2006)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union and co-counsel Morrison & Foerster LLP today announced the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of two high school teachers who were arrested, handcuffed and verbally abused by Police Department officers after they questioned the handcuffing of two students who had been involved in a fight.

ACLU Says Mandatory Minimums are Discriminatory and Urges Inter-American Commission to Condemn Unfair Practice (03/03/2006)
WASHINGTON – As the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights heard from experts and a victim at a hearing today on the discriminatory impact of mandatory minimum sentences, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the body to reject that unjust practice. In conjunction with other civil rights and criminal justice organizations, the ACLU submitted written testimony and recommendations to the Commission.

Children Sentenced to Life Without Parole Bring Plea to Human Rights Body (02/22/2006)
NEW YORK - The national American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan today filed a petition urging the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to rule that sentencing children to mandatory life without the possibility of parole violates the Declaration of the Rights of Man and universal human rights principles.

ACLU of New Mexico Wins Agreement to Overhaul State Juvenile Justice System (02/17/2006)
ALBUQUERQUE – The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and the San Francisco-based Youth Law Center today announced a settlement agreement with New Mexico’s Children Youth and Families Department that requires sweeping improvements in security, mental health programming, and rehabilitation services in juvenile detention facilities across the state. It also mandates the closure of the troubled New Mexico Boy’s School in Springer.

ACLU of Texas Criticizes Continued Use of Race, Over-Use of Consent Searches in Traffic Stops (02/17/2006)
AUSTIN, TX - A report released today by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition found that many state law enforcement agencies continue to use consent searches inconsistently and inappropriately, and that consent searches rarely uncover wrongdoing and are more likely to target minorities.

Lawyer Selected to Monitor Washington County’s Troubled Public Defender System (02/02/2006)
SEATTLE -- Seattle attorney Jeffery Robinson has been selected to monitor Grant County’s compliance with terms of a settlement agreement to improve the County’s public defender system. The settlement came in a lawsuit that the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and Columbia Legal Services brought against the county for failing to provide indigent felony defendants with effective assistance of counsel. It was announced today that Robinson will monitor compliance over the six-year term of the agreement.

Tens of Thousands Still Detained Longer than Law Allows, NYCLU Study Finds (01/31/2006)
NEW YORK-- More than one third of the people who are arrested and arraigned in New York City must wait more than 24 hours in jail before even seeing a judge or being informed of the charges against them, according to a New York Civil Liberties Union study released today.

ACLU of Florida Challenges Brevard County's Denial of Federal Energy Conservation Funding to Former Felons (01/26/2006)
MIAMI - Brevard County violated federal law by preventing a low-income resident from participating in an energy conservation program solely because he had a prior felony conviction, charged the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida in a lawsuit filed today in U.S. District Court in Orlando.

ACLU of New Mexico Files Lawsuit Over Jail Guard's Sexual Abuse of Female Prisoners (01/25/2006)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico today filed claims of sexual abuse and 'cruel and unusual punishment' against a McKinley County detention officer, Brian Orr, on behalf of two female inmates from Wyoming.