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New Plaintiffs Join ACLU Illegal Arrests Lawsuit, Call on City Police to Finally End Unconstitutional Practices (12/18/2007)
BALTIMORE ­ Charging that Baltimore City police continue to arrest thousands of people without just cause each year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland today added new plaintiffs to its lawsuit against the Baltimore City Police Department ­ amending the case to challenge wrongful arrests that took place since the filing of the lawsuit in 2006. The legal filing includes an original plaintiff in the lawsuit who was wrongfully arrested for a second time, a young man who was illegally arrested twice in the same summer, and four plaintiffs who were wrongfully arrested while engaged in protected First Amendment activity.

Information Even More Free with Passage of Bill to Strengthen FOIA (12/18/2007)
Washington, DC – The ACLU applauds Congress for passing a bill to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the law that allows Americans to find out what their government is up to. The Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National (OPEN) Government Act will impose strict, meaningful deadlines on FOIA requests and punish federal agencies if they miss the 20-day deadline the law demands. The bill also ensures requesters will have timely information on the status of their requests, creates real oversight with a FOIA ombudsman and clarifies that government records held by private contractors can be obtained through FOIA.

Maine Civil Liberties Union Applauds Federal Court Decision Striking Down Portions of Unconstitutional Parade Ordinance (12/14/2007)
PORTLAND – Today the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit found that advance notice and meeting requirements associated with the city of Augusta’s parade ordinance are unconstitutional. The decision upholds an earlier decision by the district court in Bangor to strike down Augusta’s restrictions on free speech because they improperly limited the rights of citizens to march and protest in the state’s capital.

School District Affirms Student Speech Rights After 10th Grader Punished for ‘gay? fine by me’ T-Shirt (12/07/2007)
NEW YORK -- The Spencer-Van Etten School District has met a demand from the New York Civil Liberties Union that it send a message directly to its student body affirming students’ constitutional right to free speech. The development occurred in response to the censorship of a Tioga County High School student for wearing a “gay? fine by me” T-shirt.

ACLU of Eastern Missouri Applauds Decision In Free Speech Case (12/06/2007)
ST. LOUIS – The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri welcomed a decision today preserving the constitutional protection of unpopular speech. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found in favor of Shirley L. Phelps-Roper, a member of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), in a case challenging a Missouri law that stripped her of her constitutional rights to free speech and religious liberty by banning protests at funerals. The court’s decision in Phelps-Roper v. Nixon reverses an earlier decision that denied Phelps-Roper’s request for a preliminary injunction while the constitutionality of the law is reviewed.

ACLU Seeks Government Records on Use of Cell Phones as Tracking Devices (11/29/2007)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to learn the details of the government’s use of cell phones as tracking devices. The request follows on the heels of revelations that federal officials are using Americans' cell phones to pinpoint their location, sometimes without any court oversight.

ACLU of Utah Asks State Supreme Court to Invalidate Tax Law That Censors Free Expression (11/16/2007)
SALT LAKE CITY – Citing First Amendment violations, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Utah Supreme Court today in a case challenging a state law that imposes a substantial tax on businesses deemed to be “sexually explicit.”

ACLU-MN sues state of Minnesota over unconstitutional massage therapist law (11/15/2007)
Saint Paul, Minn - The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, on behalf of LaRae Lundeen Fjellman and Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals, filed a lawsuit today against the current and former Commissioners of Health for the state of Minnesota. In their lawsuit they allege that the Minnesota statute (§146A.08, subd. 1(d)) which prohibits alternative health care providers from engaging in acts of private, consensual, noncommercial marital and non-marital sex with a former client within two years of termination of the professional relationship violates the rights of privacy and equal protection guaranteed by the Minnesota and United States Constitutions.

University Officials Trample Free Speech (11/02/2007)
OXFORD, OH – The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio expressed concern Friday over the reaction of officials at Miami University to a student art display. The art piece, created by a group of students, was intended to symbolize the Tree of Life and featured a tire swing and seven ropes. The display stood for several hours until police were called and removed it because it was deemed controversial. Following the removal of the display, university officials and police have threatened action against the students involved.

ACLU Asks Senate to Take Stronger Stand on Freedom of the Press (11/02/2007)
Washington, DC – In a letter to Senate leadership, the American Civil Liberties Union called for a vote on the House version of the federal reporters’ shield law. The House passed H.R. 2102, the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, by a veto-proof majority of 398 to 21.

Maine Civil Liberties Union Says Attorney General's Office Unfairly Targeted City Councilor (11/01/2007)
PORTLAND, Maine -- The Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation today began negotiations with the Maine attorney general's office on behalf of Jill Duson, a Portland City Councilor who is running for re-election on November 6. Duson, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School Of Law, came under criticism from the attorney general's office last week for referring to herself as an attorney in campaign material, in reference to her previous work in Pennsylvania as a lawyer for low-income and elderly clients.

Maine Civil Liberties Union Says Attorney General’s Office Unfairly Targeted City Councilor (11/01/2007)
PORTLAND, ME - The Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation today began negotiations with the Maine attorney general’s office on behalf of Jill Duson, a Portland City Councilor who is running for re-election on November 6. Duson, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School Of Law, came under criticism from the attorney general’s office last week for referring to herself as an attorney in campaign material, in reference to her previous work in Pennsylvania as a lawyer for low-income and elderly clients.