Home : Criminal Justice

U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Order to Forcibly Medicate Mentally Ill Defendant (06/16/2003)
ST. LOUIS -- The United States Supreme Court today affirmed that an individual has a significant constitutionally protected liberty interest in avoiding the unwanted administration of antipsychotic drugs in a case that set firm guidelines on when the government can drug a person against his will.

Federal Appeals Court Overturns Juvenile Nighttime Curfew Ordinance in Connecticut Town (06/03/2003)
VERNON, CT-Saying that a juvenile curfew ordinance in place here unjustly interferes with young peoples' freedom of movement, a federal appeals court today reversed a Connecticut trial court and declared the ordinance unconstitutional in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut.

Court Resoundingly Rejects Government's Attempt to Block "Dirty Bomb" Suspect From Meeting with His Lawyers (03/11/2003)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed a ruling by a federal district court directing the government to allow Jose Padilla, a United States citizen accused in a "dirty bomb" plot, to meet with his lawyers.

After High Court Upholds Harsh "Three Strikes" Sentencing Law, ACLU of Southern CA Vows Reform Efforts (03/05/2003)
LOS ANGELES - Reacting to a Supreme Court ruling upholding California's harsh "three strikes" law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today vowed to work toward the much-needed reforms that the Justices failed to institute.

Money Can Be Saved on Prisons Without Diminishing Public Safety, ACLU of Texas Tells Lawmakers (02/25/2003)
AUSTIN, TX--In testimony today before the Texas House Corrections Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas said that the state's prisons have become too expensive because the system incarcerates too many non-violent offenders who should be home supporting their families.

ACLU Responds to the Release of the University of Maryland's Death Penalty Study on the Impact of Race and Geography (01/07/2003)
WASHINGTON -- A new University of Maryland study about the disturbing impact of race and geography in Maryland's administration of the death penalty conclusively demonstrates why the state's moratorium should continue and other states should suspend executions as well.

New ACLU Report Blasts Texas' Scandal-Plagued Narcotics Task Forces, Calls for End to Bloated $200 Million Program (12/17/2002)
AUSTIN, TX -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas today issued a report calling for an end to the state's $200 million regional narcotics task force system, citing pervasive racial profiling and 24 major drug scandals since 1998.

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Miranda Law; Case Could Have Dramatic Impact on People's "Right to Remain Silent" (12/04/2002)
WASHINGTON -- The United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in Chavez v. Martinez, a case that raises the crucial question of whether the Miranda decision -- perhaps the Court's best-known criminal justice ruling -- truly guarantees the "right to remain silent."

ACLU of Eastern Missouri Asks Court to Make Public State's Death Penalty Protocol (11/22/2002)
ST. LOUIS -- The American Civil Liberties of Eastern Missouri today asked a district court judge to order the state's Department of Corrections to make public the procedures used for executing individuals sentenced to the death penalty.

ACLU Charges Racial Discrimination in Second Texas Drug Bust Scandal (11/01/2002)
AUSTIN, TX--The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a class action lawsuit charging racial discrimination in an undercover drug bust that led to the arrest of 15 percent of African-American men between the ages of 18 and 34 in Hearne, a rural community of 5,000 in eastern Texas.

ACLU of R.I. Sues Police Over Illegal Strip-Search; Woman Was Left Naked in Holding Cell for Five Hours (05/15/2002)
PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today filed a federal lawsuit against the Woonsocket Police Department on behalf of a woman who was strip-searched and left naked in a holding cell for over five hours after being arrested for ""driving under the influence."" 

ACLU Urges Congress to Defer to Sentencing Commission Expertise on Drug Offenses (05/14/2002)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today joined with a coalition of advocacy groups in urging a congressional subcommittee to defer to the expertise of the United States Sentencing Commission and defeat a bill that would supercede a Commission guideline that the groups say would inject a greater measure of fairness into drug sentencing. 

ACLU Says Misguided Constitutional Amendment Hasn't Improved; Measure to Diminish Due Process Rights Unnecessary Change to Constitution (05/09/2002)
WASHINGTON - Saying that the Constitution should never be modified to diminish individual rights, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged Congress to reject the disingenuously named "Victim's Rights Amendment."