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ACLU of North Carolina and Other North Carolina Civil Rights Groups Launch Investigation Into Johnston County Sheriff's Office After Sheriff Makes Racially Inflammatory Comments About Latinos to the Raleigh News & Observer (09/09/2008)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF), along with representatives from other North Carolina civil rights organizations, announced that they were deeply alarmed by racially inflammatory comments attributed to Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell in the Raleigh News & Observer on Sunday, September 7, 2008.

ACLU-NCLF Files Lawsuit Against North Carolina State Board of Elections Challenging Total Ban on Lobbyist Contributions (08/19/2008)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF) filed a lawsuit today in the federal district court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, challenging North Carolina's Campaign Contribution Prohibition, (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-278.13C(a)), which imposes a year-round total prohibition on certain state campaign contributions by lobbyists. The plaintiff in the case is Sarah Preston, the ACLU-NC's lobbyist, whose First and Fourteenth Amendment rights to freedom of association and free expression are being violated by the state law barring her from contributing even one dollar to the campaign of candidates for the state legislature and many other state offices at any time during the year, as long as she is registered as a lobbyist. This year-round, zero-dollar ban applies without regard to whether the would-be recipient of the contributions is, ever has been, or will be the object of Ms. Preston's lobbying efforts.

ACLU-NC Applauds North Carolina House of Representatives for Passing House Bill 2136, Opposing the Controversial Federal Real ID Act as an Unfunded Mandate; Urges NC Senate to Act Quickly to Pass This Important Bill! (07/17/2008)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) today applauded the NC House of Representatives for taking an important stand against the controversial federal Real ID Act, a law imposing onerous new requirements for the issuance of drivers' licenses. House Bill 2136 passed overwhelmingly today with bipartisan support, by a vote of 69-45. Eleven (11) states have already passed legislation refusing to comply with Real ID, and if the NC Senate passes H. 2136 before the session adjourns this month, then North Carolina could become the twelfth (12th) state to block implementation of this law.

ACLU of North Carolina Files “Friend of the Court” Brief in Case Where Police Shot Hispanic Homeowner After Search Based on Racial Profiling (02/05/2008)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF) filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief last week in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a case where police officers admitted under oath that while trying to locate a man named Rudelfo Gonzales who had escaped from his probation officers, Clayton police officers searched the property surrounding the home of Manuel Peña, an Hispanic man, in part because he happened to be Hispanic.

ACLU of North Carolina Asks North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission to Investigate Judge’s Decision to Close Courtroom in Blackwater Protesters’ Trial on Trespass Charges (01/09/2008)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF) filed a complaint today with the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission, asking the Commission to investigate a Currituck County district judge’s decision to clear the courtroom on December 5, 2007, during a criminal trial. The decision, made by Judge Edgar Barnes, came during the criminal trespass trial of seven individuals arrested in October 2007 after protesting on Blackwater USA’s property in Moyock. Based upon reports that the ACLU-NCLF received from several individuals who were present in the courtroom that day, including some of the defendants, several reporters and a concerned citizen, it appears that Judge Edgar Barnes held a significant portion of the trial behind closed doors, ordering sheriff’s deputies to clear the courtroom. Everyone, except the defendants, prosecutors, sheriff’s witnesses and a Blackwater official, was immediately barred from the trial. Reportedly, Judge Barnes did not give a reason for clearing the courtroom. Further, by all reports, there was no disruption on the part of the public attending the trial. Judge Barnes then proceeded to try the cases, finding all seven defendants guilty of trespassing.

ACLU of North Carolina Expresses Deep Concerns Over Racially Segregated Assemblies at Dillard Drive Middle School (12/05/2007)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) today expressed deep concerns over the segregation of students of color who were pulled out of seventh grade classes at Dillard Drive Middle School yesterday afternoon for lectures on zero tolerance, gangs, and school rules. White students were not removed from their classrooms or subjected to these lectures.

ACLU of North Carolina Announces Successful Resolution Protecting First Amendment Right of Town Resident to Speak at Public Meeting (10/23/2007)
OAKBORO, NC - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF) today announced the successful resolution of a battle between local anti-drug activist Brandon Smith and the Oakboro Town Board of Commissioners over Smith's constitutional right to free speech during the public comment portion of the Town Board of Commissioners meetings.

ACLU of North Carolina Applauds Court Ruling Preventing Religious Discrimination in the Courtroom (05/24/2007)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today applauded a ruling by Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway requiring that people of non-Christian faiths must be allowed to use religious texts other than the Christian Bible when being sworn in as jurors or witnesses in state court proceedings.

North Carolina Residents File Lawsuit Challenging the Use of Sectarian Invocations to Open County Commissioners' Meetings (03/30/2007)
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Acting on behalf of several Forsyth County residents, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and the Winston-Salem Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit in federal court today, challenging the use of sectarian invocations to open official meetings of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners.

Thousands of North Carolinians Join ACLU in Call for Investigation of Aero Contractors’ Involvement in Kidnap and Torture (03/21/2007)
RALEIGH, NC - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today joined 75 organizations and thousands of North Carolina residents to call on federal and local officials to investigate the actions of Aero Contractors, a Johnston County-based contract air carrier that transported foreign nationals kidnapped by the CIA to be tortured in secret overseas prisons.

ACLU of North Carolina to Investigate Reports of Anti-Muslim Proselytizing to High School Students (02/27/2007)
RALEIGH, NC - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today announced that it is expanding its investigation into reports of longstanding, anti-Muslim proselytizing to students at Enloe High School in Raleigh. Expressing deep concern about the dismissive manner in which the school has handled this matter, the ACLU of North Carolina invited parents and students to contact the organization with information about proselytizing at Enloe High School on February 15, 2007 or any time prior.

North Carolina Appeals Court Allows ACLU Lawsuit Over Court Swearing-in Practice to Go Forward (01/16/2007)
RALEIGH, NC - A unanimous North Carolina Court of Appeals today ruled that the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina can proceed with its lawsuit challenging state courts' practice of refusing to allow people of non-Christian faiths to swear religious oaths using any text other than the Christian Bible.

ACLU Files Lawsuit Charging Asheville, NC Violates Right to Stage Peaceful Demonstrations (10/04/2006)
ASHEVILLE, NC -- The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of an immigration reform group that was charged exorbitant, unnecessary fees for a permit to hold a peaceful march in Asheville on May 1, 2006.

ACLU Wins Challenge to North Carolina's Cohabitation Ban (07/20/2006)
BURGAW, NC - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today applauded a state court decision declaring the state's 201-year-old ban on cohabitation to be unconstitutional.

ACLU Urges North Carolina Courts to Allow Use of Multiple Religious Texts for Swearing Oaths (07/11/2005)
RALEIGH, NC -- The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today accused the Administrative Office of Courts of dragging its feet on an important issue of religious freedom and called upon the rule-making body to adopt a policy allowing the use of the Qur'an and other religious texts for the swearing of oaths in court proceedings.

ACLU and Former 911 Dispatcher File Lawsuit Challenging North Carolina Anti-Cohabitation Law (03/28/2005)
BURGAW, NC - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today filed a lawsuit on behalf of Debora Hobbs, an unmarried woman who lost her job as a 911 dispatcher simply because she chose to live with her boyfriend in violation of a 200-year-old state law that makes it a criminal offense for partners of the opposite sex to live together out of wedlock.

FBI's New Surveillance Plan Chills Religious and Political Activity, Bay Area Civil Rights Groups Warn (10/05/2004)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC-SF), the Bay Area Association of Muslim Lawyers (BAAML), and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) today announced that they will closely monitor a new government plan to use "aggressive -- even obvious - surveillance" tactics in advance of the November 2nd general election.

ACLU Sues North Carolina High School for Silencing Gay Student (04/27/2004)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today asked a state superior court to end school officials' attempts to censor a gay student's campaign posters promoting his run for student body president. The posters - one with the slogan, ""Queer Eye for Hunt High"" and another reading, ""Gay Guys Know Everything"" - were removed by administrators at James Baxter Hunt Jr. High School in Wilson, North Carolina.

No "Queer Eye" at North Carolina High School (04/26/2004)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union has come to the aid of a gay student at James Baxter Hunt, Jr. High School in Wilson, North Carolina, criticizing the school for removing two posters promoting his campaign for student body president and demanding that it take steps to remedy its illegal censorship.

Following Acquittal of 113th Death Row Inmate, ACLU Calls for Moratorium on Executions in North Carolina (02/18/2004)
WASHINGTON - The acquittal of Alan Gell -- the nation's 113th exonerated death row inmate -- is the latest powerful evidence that North Carolina needs a moratorium on executions, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

Federal Magistrate Judge in North Carolina Rules in Favor of Woman Accused of "Dirty Dancing" (06/20/2003)
RALEIGH, NC-The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today welcomed the decision of a federal magistrate judge that city officials in the town of Marshall cannot deny a local woman entrance to a weekly town dance because they deem her dance moves inappropriate.

ACLU Hails North Carolina Senate for Passing Death Penalty Moratorium Bill (04/30/2003)
WASHINGTON--The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the North Carolina Senate for passing a bill to halt executions in the state for two years while state officials conduct a thorough examination of its death penalty system. The North Carolina Senate becomes the first legislative chamber to pass moratorium legislation this year.

Durham, North Carolina High School Senior is Among 12 Winners of ACLU College Scholarship for Youth Activism (05/23/2001)
RALEIGH, NC - - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today announced that Amiris Brown of Jordan High School is one of 12 seniors nationwide to be awarded a $4,000 college scholarship in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the struggle to defend civil liberties. borah Ross, Executive Director of the ACLU of North Carolina. "She is an excellent example of non-traditional youth leadership."

Bill Would Repeal North Carolina Sodomy Law (03/14/2001)
GREENSBORO, NC -- An effort to amend North Carolina's sodomy law to decriminalize consensual oral and anal sex is under way, PlanetOut.com reported.

ACLU Wary of FCC Cell Phone Guidelines (01/12/2001)
RALEIGH, NC -- The fact that companies will be able to pinpoint a person's location to within a few feet using software in new wireless phones is disconcerting to the American Civil Liberties Union, Bizjournals.com reported.

ACLU Updates Advisory on "God and Country in the Public Schools" For School Officials, Teachers and Parents (08/25/2000)
RALEIGH, NC - Prompted by the success and widespread acceptance of last school year's distribution, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina will provide each public school superintendent across the state with a complimentary copy of the publication, "God and Country in the Public Schools."

Charlotte Student Wins First ACLU Youth College Scholarship (04/20/2000)
RALEIGH, NC -- The American Civil Liberties Union today announced the winners of a nationwide student activist college scholarship competition, awarding eight high school seniors $4,000 each for outstanding contributions in the struggle for civil liberties and the rights of young people.

Student Prevails in NC School Uniform Dispute (01/11/2000)
In a settlement with officials at McIver Elementary School in Halifax, Aaron Ganues, who was twice suspended for failure to wear the school uniform, will be allowed a religious exemption from wearing the uniform for the remainder of his public school education. 

Local Theater Bans Teen's Prize-Winning Play Because Main Characters Are Lesbians (03/05/1999)
CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- A high school junior who won a playwriting contest is staging the play with the help of local activists after a theater refused to produce it because the two main characters are lesbians.