ACLU

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DC Man Sues After Detention for Playing Darth Vader Theme

ACLU claims First Amendment violation after a protest with Star Wars music

(Newser) - A Washington, DC, resident is suing after a protest in which he followed National Guard troops around and played "The Imperial March" from Star Wars resulted in his detention. Sam O'Hara, 35, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday, claiming his First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated when...

Judge: Mahmoud Khalil Must Be Deported

Columbia activist is accused of omissions on his green card application as his legal fight continues

(Newser) - A US immigration judge has ordered the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestine activist known for his leadership in campus protests at Columbia University against Israel's military actions in Gaza. The order, issued by Judge Jamee Comans in Louisiana on Friday, directs Khalil—a Palestinian originally from Syria...

Honolulu Cops Arrest the Innocent to Hit Quotas: Lawsuit

ACLU of Hawaii alleges cops benefit by arresting sober drivers for DUI

(Newser) - Honolulu police say they've launched an internal investigation following claims that they've been arresting people "without probable cause and/or without due process." The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii filed a lawsuit in state court on Thursday, claiming officers have been unlawfully arresting sober drivers to...

Louisiana Judge Blocks Ten Commandments Law

Larger legal fight looms for measure requiring them to be displayed in classrooms

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union said Louisiana's law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools was " blatantly unconstitutional ." And now a federal judge has agreed. US District Judge John deGravelles on Tuesday struck down the law signed in June by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry,...

Man Who Flipped Off Trooper Awarded $100K in Lawsuit

ACLU sued on behalf of Vermont man

(Newser) - Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a man who was charged with a crime for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by...

ACLU: Ten Commandments Law 'Blatantly Unconstitutional'

Civil rights group, others say they'll sue over Louisiana law mandating display in public schools

(Newser) - "I can't wait to be sued," Louisiana's Republican governor announced over the weekend, just days before signing a bill Wednesday requiring every public school classroom in the state to display the Bible's Ten Commandments . And now, the time has come. The American Civil Liberties Union,...

Supreme Court Clears Way for NRA's Free-Speech Lawsuit

Gun-rights group sued a former New York state official, said she tried to get it blacklisted

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for a National Rifle Association lawsuit against a former New York state official over claims she violated its free-speech rights. As the AP reports, the unanimous opinion reverses a lower court's decision tossing out the gun rights group's lawsuit...

ACLU: School Broke the Law by Forcing Boy to Cut His Hair

Native American child requested exemption for faith, cultural reasons but was denied, letter claims

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union says an elementary school in Kansas is enforcing an unlawful policy under which an 8-year-old Native American boy was forced to choose between having long hair and attending school. The member of the Wyandotte Nation chose to cut his long hair after his mother visited...

ACLU Sues South Dakota Over Vanity Plate Restrictions

Civil rights group has beef with state's initial rejection of man's application for 'REZWEED' plate

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota announced Monday that it's suing South Dakota over a state law that restricts content on vanity plates. The ACLU said in a press release that it filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lyndon Hart, whose application for a plate that said...

For Trans Advocates, Victory in This State

Federal judge strikes down ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors in Indiana

(Newser) - A federal judge issued an order Friday stopping an Indiana ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors from taking effect as scheduled July 1. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sought the temporary injunction in its legal challenge of the Republican-backed law, which was enacted this spring...

Texas Governor Signs Bill on Transgender College Athletes

ACLU calls it 'unfair,' 'cruel'

(Newser) - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law Thursday that was denounced by the ACLU of Texas as "unfair, unconstitutional, and just plain cruel." SB 15 requires college athletes to play on teams that correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth, meaning transgender men will...

Suit: Jail Gave Ivermectin Without Inmates' Knowledge

ACLU says Arkansas county was engaged in medical experimentation

(Newser) - After four inmates in an Arkansas county jail tested positive for COVID-19 last August, they were told about their treatment regimen: some combination of vitamins, antibiotics, and steroids. But what they got was ivermectin, a lawsuit says. The FDA and Merck, the manufacturer, do not recommend prescribing the anti-parasitic drug...

Girl, 10, Drew a Picture at School. Then Cops Arrested Her

ACLU of Hawaii demands $500K in damages, plus reforms

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii is demanding $500,000 in damages after a 10-year-old Black girl was arrested at school over a drawing. A parent of a student at Honowai Elementary School outside Honolulu demanded staff call police in response to the girl's drawing, which allegedly depicted...

ACLU Apologizes for Altering RBG Quote

Organization switched pronouns to 'they' and 'their'

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union is apologizing after erasing "she" and "her" pronouns from a statement by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. On the anniversary of her death, the organization reinterpreted a quote Ginsburg gave on reproductive rights during her Senate confirmation hearings in 1993....

Va. School Board to Pay Trans Student $1.3M

The settlement will cover Gavin Grimm's six years worth of attorney's fees and costs

(Newser) - The Virginia school board that fought a former student for years has finally agreed to settle. The Gloucester County School Board will turn over $1.3 million to cover attorney's fees after effectively losing their case when the Supreme Court declined to hear it, the Washington Post reports. Gavin...

For the First Time, the ACLU Has a Black President

Deborah Archer will make fight against racial injustice a top priority

(Newser) - Deborah Archer, a professor at New York University School of Law with expertise in civil rights and racial justice, has become the first Black person in the 101-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union to be elected its president. The ACLU announced Monday that Archer was elected over the...

'Unchecked Groping' Alleged at Calif. Homeless Shelters

ACLU sues cities, operators of 3 Orange County shelters

(Newser) - In March 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union issued a report that suggested it was better to spend time in jail than in dirty, overcrowded Orange County homeless shelters. Residents at Anaheim's Bridges at Kraemer Place and Santa Ana's Courtyard Transitional Center and SAFEPlace shelters described feces covering...

Border Agent: I Detained You for Speaking Spanish

Ana Suda and Martha Hernandez sued the Border Patrol

(Newser) - Driving while Black is one thing. Looks like talking while Hispanic is another. Two US citizens have settled a lawsuit against US Customs and Border Protection that hinged on a border agent who heard them speaking Spanish, the New York Times reports. The agent detained Ana Suda and Martha Hernandez...

ACLU Wants to Help Britney
ACLU Is Team Britney
Aug 24, 2020 3:15 AM CDT

ACLU Is Team Britney

Organization says it will back Spears if she wants out of conservatorship

(Newser) - Britney Spears no longer wants her father to serve as her conservator —and now she has the American Civil Liberties Union on her side. Yes, it appears the ACLU may have joined the #FreeBritney movement : "People with disabilities have a right to lead self-directed lives and retain their...

Trump Sued Over Use of Force on DC Protesters

Civil rights groups file federal lawsuit

(Newser) - Civil rights groups including the ACLU and Black Lives Matter are taking the Trump administration to court over the forcible clearance of protesters ahead of the president's church photo-op across from the White House Monday. In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, the groups say the use of methods including...

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