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Lilly Ledbetter to Address DNC on Women’s Equality Day (08/25/2008)
Washington, DC – Pay equity pioneer Lilly Ledbetter, whose landmark Supreme Court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear ignited a firestorm of debate over the need for stronger protections against wage discrimination, will address the 2008 Democratic National Convention on Women’s Equality Day – Tuesday, August 26.

Court Upholds Privacy Advocate's Right to Post Public Records on Website (08/22/2008)
Richmond, VA - Federal Court Judge Robert E. Payne today ruled that Virginia's new law prohibiting the publication of Social Security Numbers, including those taken from government websites available to the public, is unconstitutional as applied to the website of privacy rights advocate B.J. Ostergren.

Preliminary Congressional Investigation Finds Watch Lists Plagued with Systemic Flaws (08/22/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – In response to today’s Wall Street Journal article on the flaws found in the terrorist watch lists by a preliminary congressional investigation, the American Civil Liberties Union calls on all presidential candidates, as well as current President Bush, to pledge to put a moratorium on the use of the lists unless major overhauls are made. The investigation found the current database system beleaguered with flaws and technological hurdles. Not only that, but the program being designed to replace the current database is facing similar systemic difficulties, while the contractors hired for its creation are struggling to move toward completion.

Proposed Bush Regulation Jeopardizes Women’s Health (08/21/2008)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed its grave concern over the proposed regulations released today by the Department of Health and Human Services that could seriously undermine women’s ability to access reproductive health services, including birth control.

Federal Court Rules U.S. Government May Not Deliberately Subvert California’s Medical Marijuana Laws (08/20/2008)
SAN JOSE, CA - In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a federal court today held that the U.S. Constitution bars deliberate subversion by the federal government of state medical marijuana laws.

Federal Government Expands Database on Travelers (08/20/2008)
Washington, DC – Once again the federal government is expanding its collection of data on innocent travelers, the American Civil Liberties Union said today, with the Department of Homeland Security creating dossiers of travelers who pass through U.S. border checkpoints, maintain these files for 15 years, and share this data broadly – including providing access to courts and attorneys in civil litigation like divorce proceedings.

U.S.: End Beating of Children in Public Schools (08/20/2008)
DALLAS – More than 200,000 U.S. public school students were punished by beatings during the 2006-2007 school year, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union said in a joint report released today. In the 13 states that corporally punished more than 1,000 students per year, African-American girls were twice as likely to be beaten as their white counterparts.

ACLU In Court Today Challenging Conditions At Maricopa County Jail (08/12/2008)
PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union is in a federal district court beginning today seeking to rebuff an attempt by Maricopa County and its sheriff, Joe Arpaio, to terminate a federal consent decree mandating that he maintain conditions at the Maricopa County Jail that meet constitutional minimums.

FBI Improperly Obtains Reporters' Phone Records (08/09/2008)
NEW YORK -- The FBI admitted late yesterday to improperly obtaining telephone records from New York Times and Washington Post reporters by issuing "emergency" records demands that allowed the agency to bypass even the extremely limited safeguards that ordinarily apply to national security letters (NSLs). The American Civil Liberties Union has successfully challenged the national security letter statute in federal court and says this breach confirms the inadequacy of safeguards on the FBI's intrusive surveillance powers.

Court Blocks Local Arizona Anti-Solicitation Law (08/08/2008)
PHOENIX – The U.S District Court in Phoenix today blocked the town of Cave Creek, Arizona from enforcing an anti-solicitation ordinance that infringes on the free speech rights of day laborers in that town. The order ensures that day laborers will be able to exercise their constitutional rights by expressing their availability to work in public areas.

ACLU Challenges South Carolina's Unconstitutional Ballot Access Law In Federal Court (08/07/2008)
COLUMBIA, SC – In the first case of its kind, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in federal court today challenging the South Carolina election rules that prevent a candidate seeking the nomination of more than one political party from appearing on the general election ballot if that candidate wins one party's nomination but loses another's. South Carolina is one of only four states that permits fusion voting, which allows multiple political parties to nominate the same candidate, but also has a so-called "sore loser" statute disqualifying candidates who have been selected by one party but rejected by another. The ACLU brought this legal challenge on behalf of the state Green Party, a disqualified candidate for the state House of Representatives and a South Carolina voter.

ACLU Reminds "America's Toughest Sheriff" That He's Not Above The Law (08/07/2008)
PHOENIX - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion yesterday to hold Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio in contempt for disobeying a court order that would allow women prisoners in Maricopa County to obtain timely, safe, and legal abortions. In addition, today's motion asks the court to provide additional safeguards for women prisoners seeking abortion care.

Creative Arts, Media and Free Speech Groups Join ACLU In Urging Supreme Court To Reject FCC Censorship (08/07/2008)
NEW YORK – In a friend-of-the-court brief filed today on behalf of creative arts, media and free speech organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the Federal Communication Commission's regulation of "indecent speech" as arbitrary, inconsistent and irreconcilable with core First Amendment values. The brief urges the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court ruling in Federal Communication Commission (FCC) v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. striking down the recent FCC decision to ban even "fleeting expletives" from the airwaves as an unjustified departure from the agency's longstanding practices.

Oceanside Police Grossly Negligent in Responding to Suicidal Persons, says ACLU (08/07/2008)
SAN DIEGO – Oceanside Police mishandled a crisis negotiation in a way that may well have contributed to the suicide of a young man Grant Sattaur, 20, on December 26, 2007, the family said today at a press conference and at a hearing of the San Diego County Board of Mental Health.

President Carter Supports ACLU And NACDL Guantánamo Defense Project (08/07/2008)
NEW YORK – Former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement in support of the American Civil Liberties Union's John Adams Project, a partnership with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) that provides civilian legal teams to assist under-resourced military counsel of Guantánamo detainees who have been charged in the military commissions.

ACLU of Massachusetts Files Suit Seeking Ballot Place for Third Party Candidates (08/06/2008)
BOSTON – In a lawsuit aimed at ensuring the franchise for Massachusetts voters, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts has filed suit seeking ballot access on behalf of Bob Barr and Wayne A. Root, the candidates of the national Libertarian Party for President and Vice President of the United States. Despite earlier indicating that it would do so, the Massachusetts Elections Division has refused to place the names of the Libertarian Party's nominees on the ballot.

First Unconstitutional Military Commission Trial Ends In Conviction (08/06/2008)
NEW YORK – After a trial filled with overwhelming constitutional and procedural flaws, a jury of military officers today found Salim Hamdan guilty of providing material support for terrorism. The American Civil Liberties Union has been at Guantánamo Bay observing the Hamdan proceedings, which lacked the fundamental legal safeguards found in traditional U.S. courts or military courts governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

ACLU Calls FCC Penalty Against Comcast a Step Forward Toward Net Freedom (08/01/2008)
Washington, DC – Today the Federal Communications Commission is expected to penalize Comcast for violating the FCC’s principles to ensure open access to the Internet.

ACLU Rebukes House for Passing Problematic E-Verify System (08/01/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union rebukes the U.S. House of Representatives for this evening’s reauthorization of the national voluntary employment-verification program (E-Verify). The House has extended a system proven to be ineffective in verifying potential employees’ work status. It has been plagued with errors and has prevented innocent applicants from working.

ACLU Expresses its Disappointment in Congress for Failing to Eliminate Aid Penalty in HEA Reauthorization (07/31/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the American Civil Liberties Union expressed its disappointment in Congress for failing to repeal the aid elimination penalty in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The aid elimination penalty bars students with drug convictions – often minor, first time and misdemeanor offenses – from receiving critical college aid.