Home : Affiliates

ACLU Renews Its Call For Investigation Into Civil Liberties Violations At RNC (09/04/2008)
ST. PAUL - In response to reports of widespread civil liberties abuses in connection with mass arrests, police raids on private homes and the detention of several journalists during the Republican National Convention (RNC), the American Civil Liberties Union renewed its call for an investigation into the actions of law enforcement there.

ACLU Sues St. Paul and Minneapolis For Release Of Educational Materials Seized During Raids (09/04/2008)
ST. PAUL - The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a lawsuit in federal court late last night calling for the release of literature and educational materials that were illegally seized by police during mass raids on private homes and a gather place earlier this week. The raids were part of what appears to be a massive government crackdown on free speech during the Republican National Convention.

At RNC, Arraignments Begin And Arrests Continue (09/04/2008)
ST. PAUL - Hundreds of people arrested during a crackdown on free speech in the first days of the Republican National Convention (RNC) were arraigned yesterday. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota assembled teams of attorneys to offer legal services at the proceedings.

ACLU To Represent Reporter And Others Arrested At RNC (09/03/2008)
ST. PAUL -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota has coordinated legal counsel for Amy Goodman, host of the popular television and radio program DemocracyNow!, and two of that show’s producers who were detained during mass arrests surrounding the Republican National Convention (RNC). Goodman was released on misdemeanor charges three hours after her arrest, while the producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, were held longer and charged with felony intent to riot. Those charges were suspended pending investigation. The ACLU of MN is calling for all charges against Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar to be dropped.

Kentucky Photojournalists Released From Jail After Being Held For 36 Hours Without Charges (09/03/2008)
ST. Paul - Two photojournalism students were released this morning after being held without charge for 36 hours following their arrest during the Republican National Convention (RNC). Their advisor was also arrested and released earlier without charges.

ACLU Calls For Investigation Into Raids And Mass Arrests At RNC (09/02/2008)
MINNEAPOLIS - Amid charges of police misconduct during the Republican National Convention in Minnesota, the American Civil Liberties Union called for accountability for any unconstitutional actions there.

Federal Appeals Court Rules Osseo, MN School Must Treat Gay Student Club Equally (08/29/2008)
MINNEAPOLIS – Finding that school officials violated federal law in limiting access for a gay rights club, a federal appeals court today issued a permanent injunction that orders Osseo Area Schools to let the club have the same access to school facilities and resources as all other clubs. The ruling came as the result of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today on behalf of Straights and Gays for Equality (SAGE), a student club at Maple Grove High School.

Public hearing set for repeal of Minneapolis’s Lurking Ordinance (05/20/2008)
MINNEAPOLIS – A controversial city ordinance may soon be repealed with the help of a number of organizations who claim that the law is used in a manner that is discriminatory towards racial minorities and the homeless.

American Civil Liberties Union Of Minnesota Applauds Governor Pawlenty For Signing "Massage Therapist" Bill (04/11/2008)
St. Paul, Minn - Governor Pawlenty signed H.F. 3708 into law today. Among the provision of this bill are changes for complementary and alternative health care practitioners. Specifically, this law deals with when alternative health care providers can engage in a private sexual relationship with former clients.

American Civil Liberties Union Of Minnesota To Collect Racial Profiling Data (04/10/2008)
Saint Paul, Minn - The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota announced today that it is launching a new complaint collection form on their website to collect racial and immigration profiling data.

Racial Profiling Concerns Cause the Minnesota House To Reject Seat Belt Law (04/10/2008)
A House and Senate conference committee brought the 2008 Transportation Policy bill to the House Floor yesterday with a provision that would have allowed police to pull over any car whose occupants were not wearing their seat belts.

Coalition Files Suit Against City for Violations of Free Speech Rights Ahead of RNC March (03/24/2008)
St. Paul, MN – Cooperating attorneys for the ACLU of Minnesota and the Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild filed a complaint today in the United States District Court, against the City of St. Paul on behalf of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War. The complaint challenges the City’s violation of the Coalition’s rights to free speech and due process of law, in connection with the Coalition’s plans to demonstrate at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul on September 1, 2008. The complaint seeks to require the City of St. Paul to grant the Coalition’s request for a demonstration permit in sufficient detail, and to require the City to amend its permit procedure to provide basic due process to permit applicants.

Coalition Appeals City’s Incomplete “Conditional Alternative Permit” For RNC March (03/06/2008)
St. Paul, MN – Cooperating attorneys for the ACLU of Minnesota and the Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild today filed an appeal to the St. Paul City Council on behalf of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, challenging the conditions imposed by the City of St. Paul on the “Conditional Alternative Permit” that was granted to the Coalition earlier this week. The appeal challenges the failure of the City to grant the Coalition the permit that was requested due to the imposition of conditions on the permit which are not authorized by city ordinance. “The permit that we received is substantially different from the one that was requested, so we are asking the City Council to protect our constitutional rights,” said Coalition member Marie Braun. The “Conditional Alternative Permit” issued to the Coalition completely omitted any reference to important details such as a march route within sight and sound of the convention. “Tens of thousands of people will be coming from the Midwest and around the country to protest the illegal and immoral war against Iraq. We need these important details as soon as possible so we can work out the logistics of moving 50,000 people through the streets of St. Paul in a safe manner,” Braun added.

American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota inquiry into Normandale Community College meditation room (12/18/2007)
St. Paul, Minn - The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota announced today that it is inquiring into Normandale Community College’s meditation room after hearing allegations of improper use. The ACLU-MN is concerned that way the prayer room is currently structured may violate the establishment clause.

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.

Minnesota Bill to Stop Funeral Protests May Backfire, Warns ACLU (03/09/2006)
ST. PAUL -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today warned a joint meeting of the Senate Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committees that the popular push to ban protests at military funerals may actually end up causing the state to finance future protests by the followers of anti-gay activist Fred Phelps.

ACLU Challenges Minneapolis “Photo Cop” Ordinance (12/15/2005)
MINNEAPOLIS – The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a motion today seeking to have the Minneapolis Automated Traffic Enforcement Ordinance invalidated as a violation of Minnesota state law and the Constitution.

ACLU of Minnesota Pleased With Court Order Protecting Native American Voting Rights (09/13/2005)
ST. PAUL-The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today praised a court order ensuring that American Indian voters will be able to register to vote using their Tribal identification on the same par as a state-issued driver's license.

Minnesota Prison Officials End Censorship of ACLU Publication After Threat of Lawsuit (05/27/2005)
ST. PAUL, MN -- The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded prison officials' policy revision allowing Minnesota prisoners in segregation to receive publications containing legal material. The policy change came on the eve of the ACLU's filing that would have challenged the censorship of the organization's legal journal for prisoners.

ACLU of Minnesota Wins Temporary Restraining Order in Indian Voting Rights Case (10/29/2004)
ST. PAUL -- In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, the National Congress of American Indians and three Minnesota voters, a federal court today issued a temporary restraining order allowing the use of Indian tribal ID cards as proper identification on Election Day.

Minnesota's Restrictive Voter Identification Rules Violate Federal Election Law, ACLU and Native American Groups Charge (10/27/2004)
ST. PAUL- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and Native American voters and rights groups today filed a petition in federal court saying that the state's failure to conform with the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) and its restrictions on the use of tribal IDs at the polls could disenfranchise thousands of Minnesota voters on November 2, including many Native Americans.

Federal Judge Rules ACLU of Minnesota Racial Profiling Lawsuit Can Move Forward (07/07/2004)
ST. PAUL--A federal judge has cleared the way for a racial profiling lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota against the Drug Enforcement Administration to move forward by denying most of the government's motion to dismiss the case, the ACLU announced today.

ACLU of Minnesota Opposes State Legislation That Discriminates on the Basis of Sexual Orientation (02/26/2003)
MINNEAPOLIS--The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today expressed opposition to a bill recently introduced in the state legislature that effectively removes all references to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons from state laws meant to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. A provision in the bill actually repeals the definition of sexual orientation from the state's human rights statute.

ACLU of Minnesota Urges City Officials to Repeal Unconstitutional "Lurking and Loitering" Law (02/14/2003)
ST. PAUL -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today said that it has called on officials of Park Rapids to immediately repeal a "Lurking and Loitering" ordinance because it appears to be an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.

Minneapolis Mayor's Gag Order on Public Employees Violates Free Speech Rights, ACLU Warns (02/07/2003)
ST. PAUL -- Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak's policy requiring public employees, including police officers, to clear media requests through the city's communications director appears to be unconstitutional, the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union said today.

ACLU and MN Community Groups Challenge Driver's License Rule That Turns I.D. into "Internal Passport" (07/22/2002)
ST. PAUL-Acting on behalf of individuals and community groups, the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union today challenged new state driver's license restrictions requiring proof of citizenship or ""lawful presence"" in order to obtain a driver's license. 

Court Strikes Down Minnesota Sodomy Law; Ventura Administration May Fight State Impact (05/21/2001)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The American Civil Liberties Union today hailed a state court ruling that strikes down Minnesota's law prohibiting oral and anal sex. The ACLU vowed to defend the ruling's statewide impact if Governor Jesse Ventura's administration steps in and tries to limit the ruling to the individual plaintiffs in the case. 

In Football Controversy, ACLU of MN Sues School District on Behalf of 10-Year-Old Packers Fan (12/15/2000)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN--The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit against the New Prague School District on behalf of Roy Sonkowsky and his son Rocky, who was excluded by school officials from participating in school activities because of his allegiance to the Green Bay Packers football team.

Minneapolis Police Department Changes Its Tune In Response To MCLU's Concerns (07/21/2000)
MINNEAPOLIS,MN -- In the wake of media scrutiny and criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minneapolis, city officials have abandoned an earlier plan that would violate the First and Fourth amendment rights of pedestrians during the International Society of Animal Genetics Conference.

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond Calls "Evil Practice" of Racial Profiling a Problem in All 50 States (06/25/2000)
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- According to a story in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune, the NAACP's national chairman, Julian Bond called racial profiling is a nationwide epidemic, "an ancient habit that has awful effects" Saturday night at a membership and voter registration drive held by the St. Paul chapter of the NAACP.

ACLU Takes Aim at State Sodomy Law That 'Invites the State into Every Bedroom in Minnesota' (06/22/2000)
Under the sodomy law, oral sex and other private, noncommercial, consensual intimacy is punishable by up to a year in prison and $3,000 in fines.

Minnesota Legislators Call for Statewide Data on Racial Profiling (06/15/2000)
ST. PAUL -- According to a story in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune, they sat down Wednesday, one by one, to tell Minnesota lawmakers how law enforcers stopped them, searched them and often humiliated them for no other obvious reason than the color of their skin.

ACLU Asks Appeals Court To Protect Privacy of MN Inmate Phone Calls to Attorneys (05/26/2000)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today asked a federal appeals court to protect the confidentiality of inmate telephone calls to attorneys and declare the state Department of Corrections practice of monitoring and recording telephone conversations illegal and unconstitutional.

ACLU Urges Minnesota Governor to Order Racial Data Collection for Police Stops (03/15/2000)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- In a letter sent today to Governor Jesse Ventura, the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union called on the governor to order the state patrol to begin tracking the race of the motorists they stop.

Minnesota Civil Liberties Union Wins Dismissal of Lawsuit Against Trailer Park Activist (10/07/1999)
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union today announced the dismissal of a lawsuit against a woman seeking to improve conditions in the mobile home park where she lived.