Home : Free Speech : Right to Protest

Arkansas Students Wrongly Punished for Wearing Armbands to School, According to ACLU Lawsuit (10/10/2006)
LITTLE ROCK, AR -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas today filed a federal lawsuit charging that the Watson Chapel school district violated students’ free speech rights by suspending students for wearing black armbands in opposition to the school uniform policy.

ACLU Files Lawsuit Charging Asheville, NC Violates Right to Stage Peaceful Demonstrations (10/04/2006)
ASHEVILLE, NC -- The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of an immigration reform group that was charged exorbitant, unnecessary fees for a permit to hold a peaceful march in Asheville on May 1, 2006.

NYCLU Sues Village of Bellport to End Requirement That Protestors Buy $2 Million in Insurance (09/27/2006)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit to force the village of Bellport to drop an arbitrary and unconstitutional requirement that groups wishing to march in the street must purchase $2 million in insurance and indemnify the village from liability as a condition of receiving protest permits.

Federal Judge Blocks Kentucky Law Limiting Speech at Funerals (09/26/2006)
FRANKFORT, KY – A federal judge in Kentucky today issued a first-ever ruling prohibiting enforcement of a statewide ban on peaceful protests and non-disruptive speech near funerals. The court order comes in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, which argued that the state law went too far in restricting freedom of speech.

Seattle Settles ACLU Lawsuit Over Violation of Free Speech Rights During WTO Protests (09/14/2006)
SEATTLE -- Resolving a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Seattle officials will pay a settlement to two people whose free speech rights were violated during the World Trade Organization protests of 1999. The ACLU had charged that police arrested Victor Menotti simply because he was talking about WTO policies on a downtown street, and that a police officer confiscated a sign from Doug Skove because he did not like its content.

Village Cannot Impose Prohibitive Insurance Requirement as Condition of Free Speech, NYCLU Warns (08/24/2006)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today urged the village of Bellport to drop an arbitrary and unconstitutional requirement that any group wishing to march on the street must purchase $2 million in insurance and indemnify Bellport from liability as a condition of receiving a permit.

ACLU of Washington Defends Free Speech Rights of Lt. Ehren Watada (08/22/2006)
TACOMA, WA -- In a military justice case that has drawn wide attention, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is backing the free speech rights of a soldier facing court martial for refusing to serve in the war in Iraq. The ACLU today submitted a friend-of-the-court brief contending that Lt. Ehren Watada should not be punished for his public statements expressing legal and moral objections to the war in Iraq.

ACLU of Hawaii Files Federal Lawsuit on Behalf of Peaceful Protesters (08/08/2006)
HONOLULU -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of advocates for the homeless who were arrested while peacefully protesting at Honolulu City Hall.

ACLU of Hawaii Tells Court Protesters Were Unlawfully Arrested (08/02/2006)
HONOLULU -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii announced today that it has filed a motion in criminal court on behalf of two advocates for the homeless arrested for trespassing while peacefully protesting on the grounds of Honolulu City Hall. The ACLU is asking the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that the protesters were unlawfully arrested while exercising their constitutional rights to assemble and protest.

New Report by ACLU of Northern California Documents Government Monitoring of Lawful Protest and Lack of Regulations (07/27/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO – Federal, state and local agencies have infiltrated or monitored the political activity of Californians throughout central and northern California in what has become a disturbing trend, according to a report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

ACLU of Eastern Missouri Challenges Law Banning Pickets and Protests One Hour Before or After a Funeral (07/21/2006)
ST. LOUIS, MO — The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri filed a lawsuit today on behalf of Shirley L. Phelps-Roper, a member of a controversial conservative Christian church, over a Missouri law that infringes on her rights to religious liberty and free speech.

NYCLU Criticizes Proposal to Expand NYPD Control Over Protest Activity (07/19/2006)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today criticized a New York City Police Department plan to expand police control over protest activity, pledging to call on the New York City Council to block the proposed regulations if the plan is not abandoned.

ACLU Of Oregon Files Lawsuit Over Breakup of Demonstration During 2004 Bush Visit to Jacksonville (07/06/2006)
MEDFORD, OR -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon filed a class action lawsuit today against the U.S. Secret Service, the Oregon State Police, the Jackson County Sheriff and the Jacksonville Police Department, charging them with violating the constitutional rights of protesters when they forcibly broke up a peaceful demonstration in October 2004 during a visit to Jacksonville by President George W. Bush.

ACLU of Texas Files Lawsuit Over Restrictions on Protesters Outside President’s Ranch (06/30/2006)
WACO, TX —The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas today asked a district judge to block McLennan County officials from enforcing orders aimed at restricting anti-war protesters outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, saying the orders violate free speech rights and exceed the officials’ authority.

ACLU of Florida Sues Miami Officials for Blocking Human Rights Protest at Free Trade Meeting (06/27/2006)
MIAMI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Amnesty International USA, charging that city and police officials prevented members of the human rights organization from exercising their constitutional right to assemble and protest, despite having obtained proper permits.

FBI Targeted Journalist Covering Free Trade Meetings in Miami (05/04/2006)
MIAMI -- The American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Miami Chapter, filed a lawsuit today on behalf of a journalist who was under FBI surveillance because of his involvement in protests. The ACLU has obtained FBI documents showing that the FBI monitored freelance journalist David Lippman as he traveled from his home in North Carolina to Miami to cover the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) protests in 2003.

ACLU of Kentucky Says Protest Ban at Funerals Restricts Free Speech (05/02/2006)
FRANKFORT, KY -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky filed a federal lawsuit today challenging restrictions on freedom of speech and expression in two bills passed during the 2006 session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Minnesota Bill to Stop Funeral Protests May Backfire, Warns ACLU (03/09/2006)
ST. PAUL -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today warned a joint meeting of the Senate Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committees that the popular push to ban protests at military funerals may actually end up causing the state to finance future protests by the followers of anti-gay activist Fred Phelps.

ACLU of Virginia Demands Apology and Damages for Student Arrested for Protesting Campus Military Recruiters (02/17/2006)
FAIRFAX, VA -- In a letter sent to George Mason University officials, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today demanded that school officials apologize and pay $50,000 in damages to Tariq Khan, a GMU student who was arrested for protesting the presence of military recruiters on campus.

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.