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Disability Backlogs Violate Due Process Rights (05/08/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union was encouraged by today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on service delivery problems with the Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices. The SSA has struggled in processing disability claims in reasonable timeframes and the ACLU has concerns that a mandatory employment verification system would capsize the already overburdened agency.

Employment Verification Would Create a ‘No Work List’ in the U.S. (05/06/2008)
WASHINGTON – As the House Ways & Means subcommittee on Social Security met today to debate employment eligibility verification systems, the American Civil Liberties Union sounds its call for Congress not to erect barriers for Americans who seek employment. The hearing is to examine the impact that employment verification systems would have on the Social Security Administration (SSA), an already overburdened governmental agency.

Social Security Delays of Disability Claims Violate Due Process Rights (04/23/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union commends the House Ways and Means Committee for holding a hearing today on the backlog of Social Security disability claims. The ACLU has submitted a written statement to the committee.

Budget Cuts Target Elderly and Disabled Refugees (02/06/2008)
PORTLAND, ME – Many elderly and disabled refugees who have sought asylum in Maine could lose their only source of income under proposed budget cuts that will be presented Thursday to a joint meeting of the Appropriations and Health and Human Services Committees. The budget cuts proposed by Governor John Baldacci would change current law, which has allowed the state to help disabled refugees who are here legally but who are not eligible for federal SSI benefits.

Paraplegic Man Sues Hospital For “Dumping” Him in Skid Row Gutter Without a Wheelchair (01/17/2008)
LOS ANGELES – Attorneys for Public Counsel, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, and the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. filed a lawsuit today against a southern California hospital, Hollywood Presbyterian, on behalf of a paraplegic homeless man who was “dumped” in a skid row gutter. Gabino Olvera, a 42-year-old man with a history of mental illness, was treated and discharged from the hospital in February 2007, transported by van across town in a soiled hospital gown, and deposited on the side of a street without a wheelchair. According to the complaint, witnesses at the scene observed Olvera dragging himself on the ground with his papers clenched in his teeth.

Alaska Natives and ACLU Sue Over Voting Rights Violations in Bethel (06/11/2007)
ANCHORAGE — The Native American Rights Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union, acting on behalf of four Bethel-area Alaska Natives, filed a federal lawsuit today charging state and local elections officials with ongoing violations of the federal Voting Rights Act. The groups charge that state and local officials have denied voter assistance and failed to provide oral language assistance and voting materials to citizens who primarily speak Yup’ik, the first language of many Alaska Natives in the Bethel region.

ACLU of Maryland and Maryland Disability Law Center Hail Governor for Signing New Accessible “Paper Trail” Bill (05/17/2007)
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and the Maryland Disability Law Center (MDLC) joined today to celebrate a shared victory for all Maryland voters in the enactment of an election law requiring Maryland’s voting system to produce voter verified paper records. The law, HB 18/SB 392, also contains model standards for voters with disabilities.

Hampton Veterans Hospital to Allow Visitors (04/16/2007)
HAMPTON, VA Following the threat of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center today announced that it will allow patients held in its psychiatric ward to have visitors, effective immediately.

ACLU of Virginia Demands Veterans Hospital Lift Ban on Patients’ Visitors (04/11/2007)
HAMPTON, VA — The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today sent a letter to the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center demanding that it rescind a two-year old policy preventing psychiatric patients from receiving visitors. The civil liberties organization says it is considering litigation, but hopes to resolve the matter without going to court.

ACLU of Massachusetts and Disability Law Center Applaud State Approval of New Voting Technology (03/05/2007)
BOSTON - The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the Disability Law Center today again joined forces to applaud Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin's decision to approve the use of a ballot-marking voting machine that is both accessible and secure.

Illinois Residents Sue State for Violating Americans with Disabilities Act, Failing to Provide Community Services (07/28/2005)
CHICAGO -- Nine Illinois residents with developmental disabilities today sued Illinois state officials, seeking an order that would require the state to provide services within a smaller community setting, instead of segregating people in large private institutions. The class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, among others, charges that by warehousing persons with developmental disabilities in large institutions, the state deprives them of their fundamental right to pursue meaningful and productive lives.

Indiana Civil Liberties Union and Broad Coalition Challenge State's New Voting Rights Rules (04/28/2005)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Civil Liberties Union, acting on behalf of a broad coalition including state representatives and advocacy groups, today filed a challenge to a new state law with the most restrictive voting requirements in the nation, including a mandate that government-issued photo identification must be presented in order for most Hoosier citizens to cast their ballots.

ACLU of Virginia Offers Legal Aid to Methadone Clinics Barred From Opening Under New Law (03/03/2005)
RICHMOND, VA- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia announced today that it will offer legal representation to methadone clinics prevented from opening because of a new state moratorium. The ACLU charges that the new law discriminates against recovering addicts who are denied the services offered by the clinics.

MI Court of Appeals Backs Disability Rights of Cyclist on Mackinac Island (03/27/2003)
DETROIT - Responding to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, a state appeals court today ruled unanimously that Mackinac Island violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by refusing to grant a resident with multiple sclerosis his request to use an electric-assisted tricycle.

ACLU Applauds Federal Court Decision Upholding Oregon's Death with Dignity Law (04/17/2002)
PORTLAND, OR--The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon today applauded a federal court decision upholding Oregon's landmark Death with Dignity law.