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San Bernardino County Agrees To Allow Religious Head Scarves In County Jails (11/03/2008)
ORANGE, CA -- San Bernardino County agreed today to institute policies that accommodate the First Amendment right to wear religious head scarves in jail.

Second Unconstitutional Military Commission Trial Ends In Conviction At Guantánamo (11/03/2008)
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba – After a flawed military commission trial that was boycotted by the accused, a jury of nine military officers found Ali Hamza al Bahlul guilty of crimes including conspiracy and providing material support to al Qaeda. The American Civil Liberties Union was at Guantánamo Bay observing the al Bahlul proceedings, which, like all of the military commissions, lacked the fairness and transparency found in traditional U.S. or military courts.

Court Orders Justice Department To Submit NSA Wiretapping Memos For Judicial Review (10/31/2008)
WASHINGTON – A federal judge today said that he would review in chambers a set of Justice Department memos relating to the National Security Agency's (NSA) illegal warrantless wiretapping program. The judge found for the second time in an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that the government had failed adequately to explain why the memos should be kept secret in their entirety.

ACLU Names Veteran Diplomat Executive Director Of South Carolina Office (10/30/2008)
CHARLESTON, SC – The American Civil Liberties Union today announced the appointment of Victoria Middleton, a career U.S. diplomat who has worked on three continents promoting the constitutional principles of democracy and freedom, as the new Executive Director of the ACLU South Carolina Office.

Appeals Court Orders Michigan To Restore 5,500 Voters To Rolls (10/30/2008)
CINCINNATI – A federal appeals court late Wednesday cleared the way for 5,500 illegally purged voters to be returned to the rolls in time for Election Day. The U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit rejected Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's request not to enforce an earlier court ruling that declared the state's voter removal programs illegal. The appeals court decision is the latest victory in a lawsuit filed in September by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan, Advancement Project and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP.

Federal Court Of Appeals Hears Arguments On Hazleton Anti-Immigrant Law (10/30/2008)
PHILADELPHIA – The American Civil Liberties Union argued in an appellate court today that it should uphold the landmark July 2007 ruling by a federal court in Pennsylvania that declared the city of Hazleton's anti-immigrant law unconstitutional. Hazleton's law would punish landlords and employers who are accused of renting to or hiring anyone the city classifies as an "illegal alien."

ACLU Launches Voter Empowerment Program (10/28/2008)
ATLANTA – The American Civil Liberties Union proudly launched its voter empowerment program today. As part of this effort, the ACLU will distribute 480,000 cards in 32 states that inform voters of their rights on Election Day and how to avoid problems when casting a ballot.

ACLU Urges Attorney General To Reject White House Challenge Of 200,000 Registered Voters In Ohio (10/28/2008)
WASHINGTON – In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey today, the American Civil Liberties Union demanded the Department of Justice (DOJ) reject a White House request to challenge 200,000 registered voters in Ohio. The White House's request came days after the U.S. Supreme Court denied an attempt by Ohio Republicans to challenge voters with discrepancies between the information on their registration forms and other government databases. There is considerable evidence showing these databases are fraught with errors that could lead to the wrongful disfranchisement of thousands of lawful voters.

Guantánamo Judge Rejects Evidence Obtained Through Torture In Jawad Case (10/28/2008)
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba – A military judge ruled today that the government cannot use statements made as a result of torture in the military commission case against Afghan national Mohammed Jawad. The judge held that Jawad's alleged confession to throwing a grenade at two U.S. service members and an Afghan interpreter was obtained after armed Afghan officials threatened to kill Jawad and his family. The government had previously told the judge that Jawad's alleged confession while in Afghan custody was central to the case against him.

ACLU Monitoring Unconstitutional Guantánamo Military Commission Trial This Week (10/27/2008)
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba – The American Civil Liberties Union is at Guantánamo to monitor the military commission trial of Ali Hamza al-Bahlul scheduled to begin today. The ACLU has been present as an independent observer at nearly every military commission hearing since 2004 and continues to see no indication that the proceedings are fair, impartial or in accordance with constitutional principles.

U.N. Torture Expert Should Investigate Brutal Force-Feeding Of Connecticut Inmate, Says ACLU (10/27/2008)
HARTFORD, Conn. – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture (UNSR) should review the force-feeding of inmate Bill Coleman by the Connecticut Department of Corrections (DOC), according to a letter filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union under the U.N. Urgent Appeal procedure.

ACLU calls on the Inspectors General of the Intelligence Agencies to Follow the Law and Provide a Public Report on U.S. Wiretapping (10/24/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Inspectors General of the Intelligence Agencies to respect the rule of law and make legally required domestic surveillance reports to Congress completely and publically available.

Former U.S. Attorney General, Senior Justice Officials And Top Military Officers Urge Supreme Court To Review Indefinite Detention Case (10/23/2008)
WASHINGTON – Former United States Attorney General Janet Reno, Former FBI Director William Sessions, Major General Antonio M. Taguba and other former government and military officials today are joining the American Civil Liberties Union in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the president's authority to indefinitely imprison a legal resident of the U.S. without charge or trial. Several former top government and military leaders are signing on to friend-of-the-court briefs in the ACLU case of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, who has been detained in solitary confinement at a Navy brig in South Carolina since June 2003.

Civil Rights Coalition Charges That Finalized "No Match" Rule Will Hurt American Workers And Economy (10/23/2008)
WASHINGTON – The "no match" rule reissued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today will put the livelihoods of authorized workers – including U.S. citizens – at risk, have a devastating impact on the already suffering U.S. economy and lead to widespread discrimination in the workforce, according to a coalition of civil rights organizations.

Judge Calls Maricopa County Jail Conditions Unconstitutional (10/22/2008)
PHOENIX - A U.S. district court judge today ruled that the grossly inadequate conditions at the Maricopa County Jail, overseen by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, are unconstitutional and jeopardize the health and safety of prisoners.

ACLU Monitoring Unconstitutional Guantánamo Military Commissions This Week (10/22/2008)
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba – The American Civil Liberties Union is at Guantánamo monitoring the military commission hearings of Omar Khadr and Mohammed Kamin and the arraignment of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani scheduled to take place this week. The ACLU has been present as an independent observer at nearly every commission hearing since 2004 and continues to see no indication that the proceedings are fair, impartial or in accordance with constitutional principles.

Colorado Domestic Violence Survivor Seeks Justice In International Tribunal (10/22/2008)
WASHINGTON – In the first case brought by a survivor of domestic violence against the U.S. before an international human rights tribunal, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hear testimony today by Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales), whose three daughters were kidnapped by her estranged husband and killed.

Expanding Border Powers Creating ‘Constitution-Free Zone’ That Covers Two-Thirds of Americans (10/22/2008)
WASHINGTON – The extraordinary powers of customs and border agents to invade the privacy of individuals at the U.S. border are spreading inland and creating what amounts to a “Constitution-free Zone” that covers fully two-thirds of the American population, the American Civil Liberties Union said today in a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Secure Flight Re-Engineering Welcomed but Watchlist Problems Remain Unaddressed (10/22/2008)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) improvements of the privacy protections in its Secure Flight program; however, the ACLU detailed significant problems that remain in the passenger prescreening program.

ACLU Demands Information On Military Deployment Within U.S. Borders (10/21/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today demanded information from the government about reports that an active military unit has been deployed inside the U.S. to help with "civil unrest" and "crowd control" – matters traditionally handled by civilian authorities. This deployment jeopardizes the longstanding separation between civilian and military government, and the public has a right to know where and why the unit has been deployed, according to an ACLU Freedom of Information request filed today.