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ACLU Defends Immigrant Imprisoned for Three Years While Awaiting Deportation (06/14/2004)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today appeared in federal court on behalf of an Ethiopian immigrant who has been imprisoned for the past three years solely because he overstayed his visa.

ACLU Urges Hawaii Governor to Break Stalemate Over Brutal Conditions at Youth Correctional Facility (06/14/2004)
HONOLULU-The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii urged Governor Linda Lingle today to break a stalemate and finally address the brutal and unconstitutional treatment of children at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.

ACLU Applauds Pennsylvania Court Decision to Appoint Lawyers for Poor People Facing Prison (06/09/2004)
PITTSBURGH -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today applauded a decision by the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas to provide court-appointed lawyers to poor people facing jail-time for failing to make payments in child-support cases.

ACLU Agrees to Postpone Trial Over Lack of Legal Defense for Montana's Poor While Attorney General Seeks Legislative Remedy (05/07/2004)
HELENA, MT - In response to a request from the Montana Attorney General, the American Civil Liberties Union and state officials today agreed to postpone trial in the ACLU's lawsuit over inadequacy of the state's legal defense system for the poor in Montana in order to allow the Attorney General to advocate for legislation that will address the problems the litigation seeks to remedy.

ACLU Files Religious Liberty Lawsuit on Behalf of Native American Who Refuses to Cut Hair (03/31/2004)
ADELANTO, CA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Native American inmate who has faced serious disciplinary sanctions -- including the loss of all visitation rights -- for his refusal to comply with a California Department of Corrections grooming policy requiring all male inmates to maintain hair no longer than three inches in length.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Right to Trial By Jury (03/23/2004)
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in a case that raises important questions about the centuries-old right to a trial by jury, the American Civil Liberties Union said.

ACLU of Washington Report on County Indigent Defense Systems Cites Lack of Standards and Accountability Throughout the State (03/01/2004)
SEATTLE -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today issued a report detailing the problems with how counties provide criminal defense services to people in poverty. The report, "The Unfulfilled Promise of Gideon," shows that a majority of Washington counties lack comprehensive standards and adequate oversight systems to ensure that these publicly funded legal services meet basic constitutional standards.

Citing Deaths in Police Custody, ACLU of Colorado Calls For Limits on Use of Electroshock Weapons (02/26/2004)
DENVER--Citing an increasing number of in-custody deaths associated with law enforcement use of electroshock weapons, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado today called on Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman to tighten the department's use-of-force policy and restrict officers' use of the taser to situations that present a true threat to human life or safety.

ACLU of Virginia Asks Judge to Rule that State Law Criminalizing Adultery is Unconstitutional (02/25/2004)
LURAY, VA.-- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today said that it will represent attorney John Bushey, Jr., in appealing a state law criminalizing adultery as a misdemeanor. Bushey earlier pled guilty to violating Virginia's adultery statute, but reserved his right to challenge the law on the grounds that criminalizing adultery violates the constitutional right to privacy.

High Court Halts Execution of Texas Death Row Prisoner, Saying Prosecutors Violated Ethical Duties (02/24/2004)
WASHINGTON - The United States Supreme Court today halted the scheduled execution of death row prisoner Delma Banks, Jr., saying that Banks was denied a fair trial 20 years ago when prosecutors withheld crucial exculpatory evidence from the defense.

ACLU of New Jersey Challenges State Law Mandating DNA Collection (01/21/2004)
NEWARK -- The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a state law that requires all persons convicted of a crime, including juveniles, to provide a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

ACLU of New Mexico Wins Halt to Albuquerque's Second Attempt to Pass a Sex Offender Ordinance (01/05/2004)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- District Court Judge Wendy York has granted the American Civil Liberties Union a temporary restraining order barring implementation of ""ASORNA,"" the Albuquerque Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, the ACLU of New Mexico announced today.

South Carolina Students Were Terrorized by Police Raid With Guns and Drug Dogs, ACLU Lawsuit Charges (12/15/2003)
GOOSE CREEK, SC - Students as young as 14 were terrorized by police with guns and drug-sniffing dogs in an early-morning SWAT raid at Stratford High School that violated their rights, the American Civil Liberties Union charged in a lawsuit filed today on behalf of 20 families.

Two Supreme Court Cases Confront Further Erosion of "Right to Remain Silent" (12/09/2003)
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in United States v. Patane and Missouri v. Seibert, two cases in which confessions, information and evidence were obtained by police without fully advising suspects of their ""right to remain silent"" as required by the landmark Miranda ruling.

ACLU Welcomes Bond Hearing for Tulia 13, Says Reform Still Needed (06/16/2003)
WASHINGTON -- Saying that 13 wrongly convicted individuals swept up in the racially charged Tulia drug scandal are one step closer to vindication, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas both welcomed the release of the men and women at a special bond hearing in Texas and applauded a statement released this afternoon by several prominent Members of Congress expressing solidarity with the Tulia defendants.