ACLU

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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

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...

Judge: Fla. Felons Don't Have to Pay to Vote

Convicted felons had been required to pay fines before they could vote

(Newser) - A Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe, a federal judge ruled Sunday. The 125-page ruling was issued by US District Court Judge Robert...

Court Rules Against Airport Searches of Phones, Laptops

Warrantless searches violate Fourth Amendment, federal court says

(Newser) - A federal court in Boston has ruled that warrantless government searches of the phones and laptops of international travelers at airports and other US ports of entry violate the Fourth Amendment. Tuesday's ruling in US District Court came in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and...

2 Big Names Just Filed Suit Over 'Extreme' Abortion Law

Planned Parenthood, ACLU are behind complaint on Alabama's near-total ban

(Newser) - As states across the country have started passing more restrictive abortion laws , one has now been hit with a federal lawsuit, with two big names behind it. NBC News reports Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint Friday over Alabama's so-called "heartbeat" law , which...

ACLU Asks Why Police Handcuffed Man Moving Into His New House

Veteran was stopped while carrying a large-screen TV

(Newser) - The Kansas ACLU wants to know why a black man was detained by police while he was moving into his new house late at night. Police stopped Karle Robinson, 61, as he was carrying a large-screen television into the house. He was handcuffed outside for 8 minutes last August, the...

They Were Stopped for Speaking Spanish. Now They're Suing

Complaint: 'no legitimate reason' for CBP to detain Ana Suda, Martha Hernandez, both US citizens

(Newser) - Two native-born US women were detained by a Border Patrol agent last May at a convenience store in Havre, Montana. Now those women are suing US Customs and Border Protection, noting in their complaint that the CPB agent "singled out, detained, and interrogated" Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi"...

With Surveillance Limits Ending, ACLU Sues Everyone

Feds aren't revealing anything about surveillance, suit says

(Newser) - A civil rights group has sued the US government, saying it needs more information about surveillance of Americans' phone and financial records to guide the public debate over what will happen when the law that regulates the scrutiny expires next year, the AP reports. The American Civil Liberties Union sued...

White House Announces Asylum Crackdown

Trump expected to issue proclamation Friday

(Newser) - The White House has unveiled the crackdown on asylum seekers President Trump promised last week . A joint statement from Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen released Thursday announced an "Interim Final Rule" declaring that "aliens" who violate presidential suspensions or limitations on entry...

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