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Congress Should Demand Answers from Attorney General (07/23/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union urges the House Judiciary Committee to demand accountability from Attorney General Michael Mukasey during the Department of Justice oversight hearing scheduled for today.

ACLU Opposes Expansion of Federal DNA Program to Arrestee Testing (06/12/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union urges Congress to oppose an amendment sponsored by Representative Adam B. Schiff (D-CA) that is designed to test arrestees as part of an expansion of the federal DNA program. Schiff’s amendment, which recently passed the House Judiciary Committee, will provide incentives for state law enforcement officials to create a permanent DNA database of arrestees that includes people who are detained on misdemeanor charges, wrongfully arrested and others.

Court-Ordered Emergency Action Needed to Address New York State’s Unconstitutional Public Defense System, NYCLU Charges (03/27/2008)
The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a request for immediate emergency relief to address New York State’s broken public defense system.

Advocates Stand Together for Fairness in Federal Sentencing (02/26/2008)
Washington, DC – On Tuesday, February 26, activists from around the country, civil rights and professional organizations stood together to call for much-needed reform to the country’s federal sentencing laws. This press briefing and lobby event marked the culmination of a month-long series of events aimed at addressing the 20-year-old sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. According to current guidelines, a conviction for the sale of 500 grams of powder cocaine results in a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence, while the same penalty is triggered for sale or possession of only 5 grams of crack cocaine.

ACLU Cheers USSC Decision to Apply New Drug Sentencing Guidelines Retroactively (12/11/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s decision to apply recent changes in federal crack cocaine sentencing guidelines retroactively. Thousands of offenders were sentenced under the previous guidelines, which unfairly and erroneously required them to serve more than the mandatory minimum sentence required by law. Thanks to the USSC’s decision, such offenders will now have the opportunity to appear before the court and have their case reviewed by a judge.

Sample of Publications (12/17/2002)

Craig v. State of Minnesota - ACLU Amicus (09/17/2007)

Simmonds v. New York City Department of Corrections Complaint (07/13/2006)
Simmonds v. New York City Department of Corrections Complaint

ACLU v. DoD, Second Amended Declaration of Richard B. Myers (pt 1) (08/29/2005)

ACLU v. DoD motion to vacate protective order and for access to papers filed by the government (08/11/2005)

ACLU Amicus Brief in U.S. v. Patane (09/19/2003)

ACLU Letter to Congress Urging Opposition to an Amendment to H.R. 5057 Pertaining to the Collection of DNA Samples from Arrestees (07/14/2008)

National Sign-On Letter Supporting Elimination of the Valid Court Order (VCO) Exception to the JJDPA (07/14/2008)

ACLU Comments to the Justice Department Regarding the Collection of DNA Under the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 and Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (05/19/2008)

ACLU Letter to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Regarding DNA Collection During Arrest (04/17/2008)

Justice Roundtable Coalition Letter to Senate Urging Support of The Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007 (S.1711) (02/15/2008)
We are part of the Justice Roundtable, a network of advocacy organizations that shares common goals toward rational reform of the U.S. criminal justice system. Although some of us have already forwarded individual letters to you, we write at this time to provide a collective voice on the critical issue of crack cocaine sentencing reform. We applaud the bipartisan recognition that the mandatory minimum statutes treating one gram of crack cocaine the same as 100 grams of powder cocaine must be corrected.

Report by the Constitution Project, "Balancing Act - Legislative Power and Judicial Independence" (09/27/2004)

Sample of Resources (12/17/2002)

10 Reasons to Oppose "3 Strikes, You're Out" (03/17/2002)

Links to Other Criminal Justice Sites (03/12/2002)

Second Amendment (03/04/2002)

Know Your Rights: Pregnancy-Related Health Care in Prison or Jail (08/01/2008)
Information on inmates' right to pregnancy-related care while incarcerated.

Sample of Fact Sheets (12/17/2002)