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Federal Court Orders Release Of Uighurs Indefinitely Detained At Guantánamo (10/07/2008)
NEW YORK – A federal judge today ordered the release of a small group of Chinese Muslims who have been held without charge at Guantánamo Bay. U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina in Washington, D.C. rejected the Bush administration's position of indefinitely holding the detainees, known as Uighurs, since they are not considered enemy combatants. The Uighurs have been held in Guantánamo for seven years.

As Declaration Of Human Rights Approaches 60, ACLU Announces New Campaign And Contest (10/06/2008)
NEW YORK – In anticipation of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the American Civil Liberties Union today announced the launch of "Dignity Begins at Home," a new campaign to celebrate the document that is the cornerstone of the modern human rights system. Despite the United States' involvement in drafting the UDHR and supposed support of the document, it has failed to honor its commitments under the UDHR, especially within U.S. borders.

ACLU Asks Court To Allow Rejected Absentee Ballot Applications (10/02/2008)
COLUMBUS, OH – The American Civil Liberties Union and the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law filed a friend-of-the-court brief today asking the Ohio Supreme Court to protect voters' rights and allow rejected absentee ballot applications to be processed. The lawsuit was brought by two Hamilton County voters who completed absentee ballot request forms that were rejected because of an unchecked box.

ACLU Sues School District For Punishing Kindergarten Student Because Of Family's Religious Beliefs (10/02/2008)
HOUSTON – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas today filed a lawsuit against the Needville Independent School District (NISD) for punishing a five-year-old American Indian kindergarten student for practicing and expressing his family's religious beliefs and heritage by wearing his hair long in violation of school rules.

Reports Show Widespread Confusion About The Voting Rights Of People With Criminal Records (10/01/2008)
NEW YORK – A report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law reveals widespread misunderstanding among state elections officials of laws governing the right to vote of citizens with felony convictions.

ACLU Welcomes Introduction of Travelers’ Privacy Protection Act in Both Chambers of Congress (09/29/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union was pleased to see the Travelers’ Privacy Protection Act introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) introduced S. 3612, with Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) signing on as original cosponsors, while Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced H.R. 7118. The proposed legislation is a response to the troubling stories that Americans reentering the United States have had their personal belongings, such as laptops, cell phones and digital cameras, confiscated and searched without probable cause. The Senate and House bills raise the privacy protections for travelers without sacrificing national security at our borders.

Ohio Courts Protect Voters' Access To Absentee Ballots (09/29/2008)
CLEVELAND – In an overwhelming victory for voting rights, two different Ohio courts today ruled that counties cannot deny absentee ballots to newly registered voters in violation of directives issued by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit and two friend-of-the-court briefs challenging efforts to prevent new voters from casting absentee ballots.

ACLU Applauds Senators Menendez and Kennedy for Bill to Protect U.S. Citizens from Unlawful Detention and Deportation (09/26/2008)
Washington, DC – Last night, Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced legislation to protect U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents from being unlawfully detained and deported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In the wake of sweeping immigration raids that have devastated communities across the country, the ACLU welcomes this bill, S.3594, The Protect Citizens and Residents from Unlawful Raids and Detention Act, as the first legislation to require DHS to follow due process standards in executing immigration raids.

ACLU Applauds Senate Judiciary Committee for Reauthorizing and Expanding Deaths in Custody Reporting Act (09/25/2008)
Washington, DC – Today the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to reauthorize and expand a Bureau of Justice Statistics program that will require the Attorney General and encourage states to report information regarding the deaths of individuals in the custody of federal, state, and local law enforcement.

ACLU Asks Court To Allow All Ohio Registered Voters Access To Absentee Ballots (09/25/2008)
CLEVELAND – The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit late yesterday challenging an Ohio county that is denying absentee ballots to newly registered voters in violation of directives issued by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on behalf of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH), 1Matters, Project Vote and two individual voters.

ACLU Asks Federal Court To Restore Torture Flight Lawsuit Against Boeing Subsidiary (09/25/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union today asked a federal appeals court to reinstate a lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan for its role in the CIA's extraordinary rendition program. The U.S. government continues to misuse the "state secrets" privilege to avoid legal scrutiny of the unlawful program. It has become increasingly clear in recent months that other governments do not share the Bush administration's conviction that the program must remain shrouded in false claims of state secrets.

ACLU Commends Senate Judiciary Subpoena for Interrogation Documents (09/25/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC –The American Civil Liberties Union commends the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote today to authorize a subpoena of the Department of Justice (DOJ) legal opinions justifying harsh interrogation tactics.

Privacy vs. the Internet: Americans Should Not be Forced to Choose (09/25/2008)
Washington, DC – The Senate Commerce Committee continued exploring the issue of Internet privacy and online marketing today with a hearing on Internet service providers’ (ISPs) use of deep packet inspection (DPI). Use of this technology allows ISPs to scrutinize Internet users’ e-mail and browsing activities, to monitor usage and communications traffic, and sell that information to advertisers or turn it over to government officials. The risks posed by this technology are significant and should not be underestimated. The ACLU urges members of the committee to zealously guard the privacy of the American people.

ACLU Commends House Oversight Hearing on Department of Justice’s Plan for 2008 Election (09/24/2008)
Washington, DC – Today the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee and the Elections Subcommittee of the House Administration Committee are scheduled to hold a joint hearing, entitled “Federal, State and Local Efforts to Prepare for the 2008 Election.” As part of this hearing, Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, will testify. Recently, Attorney General Mukasey told voting rights advocates that there was no greater priority in the next two months for DOJ than to ensure a smooth election in November. To keep this promise and to protect the fundamental right to vote, DOJ must be prepared prior to Election Day with a comprehensive plan. The ACLU, therefore, applauds this congressional oversight of DOJ’s preparations for the 2008 elections.

ACLU Disappointed With Federal Court Decision Upholding Tennessee's Disenfranchisement Law (09/23/2008)
NASHVILLE – A federal court today rejected a challenge to a Tennessee law that made the restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies contingent on the payment of all outstanding legal financial obligations (LFOs), namely restitution and child support fees. The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Tennessee, which brought the case on behalf of four individuals who have completed their terms of imprisonment, parole and probation for their offenses, expressed disappointment with the decision.

Appeals Court Orders Defense Department To Release Detainee Abuse Photos In ACLU Lawsuit (09/22/2008)
NEW YORK – A federal court today ordered the Department of Defense to release photographs depicting the abuse of detainees by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected the government's appeal of a 2006 order directing the Defense Department to release the photos. Today's decision comes as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking information on the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody overseas.

Defense Lawyers For 9/11 Detainees Challenge Bias And Political Influence At Guantánamo Proceedings This Week (09/22/2008)
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba – Appearing before a Guantánamo military commission today, military attorneys and civilian lawyers sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union's John Adams Project sought to interject a degree of fairness into the deeply flawed system. Among several requests, defense lawyers are asking that all charges be dismissed against the detainees accused of crimes related to the 9/11 attacks because of a history of political interference from Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, a top Pentagon general.

Farmers Branch, Texas Anti-Immigrant Ordinance Is Blocked While Challenge Continues (09/22/2008)
DALLAS – City officials in Farmers Branch, Texas today agreed not to fight a request from residents to block the city's latest anti-immigrant ordinance from taking effect while a legal challenge continues. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) filed a request in federal court on the residents' behalf for a preliminary injunction blocking the ordinance. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas is expected to enter the injunction today.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court To Review Landmark Indefinite Detention Case (09/19/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Bush administration's authority to indefinitely imprison a legal resident of the United States without charge or trial. The case was filed on behalf of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, who has been detained in solitary confinement at a Navy brig in South Carolina since June 2003. The ACLU is asking the Court to reverse a federal appeals court decision that gave the president sweeping power to deprive individuals in the United States of their most basic constitutional rights.

Transgender Veteran Wins Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Against Library of Congress (09/19/2008)
WASHINGTON - Today a federal judge ruled that the Library of Congress illegally discriminated against a Special Forces veteran when she was denied a job after announcing her intention to transition from male to female. In a groundbreaking decision, the court ruled that discriminating against someone for changing genders is sex discrimination under federal law.