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Advocates Stand Together for Fairness in Federal Sentencing (02/26/2008)
Washington, DC – On Tuesday, February 26, activists from around the country, civil rights and professional organizations stood together to call for much-needed reform to the country’s federal sentencing laws. This press briefing and lobby event marked the culmination of a month-long series of events aimed at addressing the 20-year-old sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. According to current guidelines, a conviction for the sale of 500 grams of powder cocaine results in a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence, while the same penalty is triggered for sale or possession of only 5 grams of crack cocaine.

ACLU Cheers USSC Decision to Apply New Drug Sentencing Guidelines Retroactively (12/11/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s decision to apply recent changes in federal crack cocaine sentencing guidelines retroactively. Thousands of offenders were sentenced under the previous guidelines, which unfairly and erroneously required them to serve more than the mandatory minimum sentence required by law. Thanks to the USSC’s decision, such offenders will now have the opportunity to appear before the court and have their case reviewed by a judge.

ACLU Sets the Record Straight on Federal Drug Sentencing Retroactivity (12/03/2007)
Washington, D.C. – The American Civil Liberties Union today reiterated its support of retroactivity for defendants serving longer sentences than required by federal law after the question was raised in this weekend’s presidential debate. The United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) last month changed federal sentencing guidelines to make sure people would not serve more than the federal mandatory minimum sentence for crack offenses. The USSC is now considering whether to make those changes to the guidelines retroactive, applying them to offenders currently in prison, not just those who were arrested before the new guidelines were implemented.

U.S. Sentencing Commission Issues New Recommendations on Federal Sentencing Guidelines (04/28/2007)
Washington - In a public hearing Friday evening, the United States Sentencing Commission voted to amend the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for federal crack cocaine offenses. Distributing just five grams of crack for example, carries a minimum five-year federal prison sentence, while distributing 500 grams of powder cocaine carries the same sentence.

ACLU Testifies Before United States Sentencing Commission for Fair Drug Sentencing Policies (11/14/2006)
WASHINGTON - Jesselyn McCurdy, Legislative Counsel at the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, testified today at a public hearing held by the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) about the continued unfairness and racial impact of federal drug sentencing policy. Despite repeated recommendations by the USSC, Congress has not addressed a 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between distribution of powder and crack cocaine.

Caught in the Net: The Impact of Drug Policies on Women and Families (03/15/2005)
In this report, the ACLU, Break the Chains and the Brennan Center for Justice advocate for fair drug laws and policies that adequately take into account the needs of women and their families, and address the root causes of women's involvement with illegal drugs.

Ending Discrimination Against People with Alcohol and Drug Problems (05/02/2003)
This report includes principles and recommendations developed by a national policy panel. Graham Boyd, Director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project, served as a panelist.

Collateral Damage in the War on Drugs (05/01/2002)
A Villanova Law Review article by ACLU Drug Law Reform Project Director Graham Boyd examining the many destructive by products of America's War on Drugs, including record incarceration, the erosion of constitutional rights and racial injustice.

The Drug War is the New Jim Crow (07/31/2001)
An article by ACLU Drug Law Reform Project Director Graham Boyd published in the NACLA Report on the Americas, July/August 2001, examining the destructive impact of America's drug policy, including record incarceration, erosion of constitutional rights, and rampant racial injustice.

This is Your Bill of Rights, on Drugs (12/01/1999)
An article by ACLU Drug Law Reform Project Director Graham Boyd and journalist Jack Hitt published in Harper's Magazine, December 1999. The piece examines how the "War on Drugs" has wreaked havoc on America's Bill of Rights.

ACLU Complaint in SSDP v. Spellings (03/22/2006)

The Solicitor General's letter to Congress Regarding ACLU v. Mineta (01/26/2005)

Ridley v. MBTA - Decision (12/10/2004)

Opinion in ACLU, et al. v. Mineta, et al. (06/02/2004)

Order in ACLU, et al. v. Mineta, et al. (06/02/2004)

ACLU Letter Urging Senators to Support S. 1711, the Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007 (02/04/2008)

ACLU Open Letter to the United States Congress (10/02/2007)

ACLU Letter to Honorable Jose E. Serrano and Honorable Ralph Regula Regarding Ineffective ONDCP Ad Campaign in Financial Services Appropriations Bill Funding (06/05/2007)
On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, a non-partisan organization with hundreds of thousands of members and 53 affiliates nationwide, we write to express our serious concern with the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. The Campaign—widely regarded as ineffective, wasteful and at times misleading—is yet another wrongheaded tactic in the war on drugs. The Campaign has cost taxpayers more that $1.5 billion since created, and the only demonstrable effect on its target audience runs contrary to the Campaign’s supposed goals. In fact, studies have found that the Ad Campaign might actually increase teen drug use. The FY08 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill will be marked up today in the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. We urge you to eliminate funding for ONDCP’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.

ACLU Comments to the United States Sentencing Commission on Crack/Powder Disparity (03/16/2007)

Coalition Sign-On Letter Supporting the Elimination of Barriers for Katrina Victims (10/26/2005)

About the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project (11/28/2005)

DLRP Internship Opportunities (05/19/2005)

DLRP Past Cases (07/16/2004)

Billions of Taxpayer Dollars at Stake for Local Transit Authorities Under Istook Amendment (02/18/2004)

Statement of Graham Boyd, Director, ACLU Drug Policy Litigation Project (02/18/2004)

Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States (09/14/2006)
Whether a state conviction for drug possession that would be a misdemeanor under federal law can nonetheless be treated as an "aggravated felony" for immigration purposes, which leads to serious adverse consequences, including ineligibilitiy for political asylum and cancellation of removal. DECIDED

Lopez v. Gonzales and Toledo-Flores v. United States (06/21/2006)
Whether a state conviction for drug possession that would be a misdemeanor under federal law can nonetheless be treated as an "aggravated felony" for immigration purposes, which leads to serious adverse consequences, including ineligibilitiy for political asylum and cancellation of removal. DECIDED