American Civil Liberties Union

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Louisiana Judge Blocks Ten Commandments Law

Larger legal fight looms for measure requiring them to be displayed in classrooms

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union said Louisiana's law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools was " blatantly unconstitutional ." And now a federal judge has agreed. US District Judge John deGravelles on Tuesday struck down the law signed in June by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry,...

ACLU: Ten Commandments Law 'Blatantly Unconstitutional'

Civil rights group, others say they'll sue over Louisiana law mandating display in public schools

(Newser) - "I can't wait to be sued," Louisiana's Republican governor announced over the weekend, just days before signing a bill Wednesday requiring every public school classroom in the state to display the Bible's Ten Commandments . And now, the time has come. The American Civil Liberties Union,...

ACLU: School Broke the Law by Forcing Boy to Cut His Hair

Native American child requested exemption for faith, cultural reasons but was denied, letter claims

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union says an elementary school in Kansas is enforcing an unlawful policy under which an 8-year-old Native American boy was forced to choose between having long hair and attending school. The member of the Wyandotte Nation chose to cut his long hair after his mother visited...

ACLU Sues South Dakota Over Vanity Plate Restrictions

Civil rights group has beef with state's initial rejection of man's application for 'REZWEED' plate

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota announced Monday that it's suing South Dakota over a state law that restricts content on vanity plates. The ACLU said in a press release that it filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lyndon Hart, whose application for a plate that said...

For Trans Advocates, Victory in This State

Federal judge strikes down ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors in Indiana

(Newser) - A federal judge issued an order Friday stopping an Indiana ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors from taking effect as scheduled July 1. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sought the temporary injunction in its legal challenge of the Republican-backed law, which was enacted this spring...

Girl, 10, Drew a Picture at School. Then Cops Arrested Her

ACLU of Hawaii demands $500K in damages, plus reforms

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii is demanding $500,000 in damages after a 10-year-old Black girl was arrested at school over a drawing. A parent of a student at Honowai Elementary School outside Honolulu demanded staff call police in response to the girl's drawing, which allegedly depicted...

ACLU Apologizes for Altering RBG Quote

Organization switched pronouns to 'they' and 'their'

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union is apologizing after erasing "she" and "her" pronouns from a statement by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. On the anniversary of her death, the organization reinterpreted a quote Ginsburg gave on reproductive rights during her Senate confirmation hearings in 1993....

Groups Try to Block Texas Law Allowing Citizen Abortion Suits

Planned Parenthood, ACLU call legislation unconstitutional, intimidation tool

(Newser) - A new Texas law inviting citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion has been challenged in federal court. Several advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Austin against the law , which is scheduled to take...

For the First Time, the ACLU Has a Black President

Deborah Archer will make fight against racial injustice a top priority

(Newser) - Deborah Archer, a professor at New York University School of Law with expertise in civil rights and racial justice, has become the first Black person in the 101-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union to be elected its president. The ACLU announced Monday that Archer was elected over the...

ACLU Wants to Help Britney
ACLU Is Team Britney
Aug 24, 2020 3:15 AM CDT

ACLU Is Team Britney

Organization says it will back Spears if she wants out of conservatorship

(Newser) - Britney Spears no longer wants her father to serve as her conservator —and now she has the American Civil Liberties Union on her side. Yes, it appears the ACLU may have joined the #FreeBritney movement : "People with disabilities have a right to lead self-directed lives and retain their...

Courts Nix States' Attempts to Ban Abortion

Abortion clinics score victory amid attempts to shut them down amid coronavirus outbreak

(Newser) - Federal judges on Monday temporarily blocked efforts in Texas and Alabama to ban abortions during the coronavirus pandemic, handing abortion providers a victory as clinics across the US filed lawsuits to stop states from trying to shutter them during the outbreak. A new Ohio order is also unconstitutional if it...

2 Big Names Just Filed Suit Over 'Extreme' Abortion Law

Planned Parenthood, ACLU are behind complaint on Alabama's near-total ban

(Newser) - As states across the country have started passing more restrictive abortion laws , one has now been hit with a federal lawsuit, with two big names behind it. NBC News reports Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint Friday over Alabama's so-called "heartbeat" law , which...

Georgia Now Has One of the Strictest Abortion Laws in US

'We will see Governor Kemp in court'

(Newser) - One, two, three—and now, four. Georgia has passed a bill banning abortions after a detectable fetal "heartbeat," making it the fourth US state to pass such a law this year, per Vox . "All life has value, all life matters and all life is worthy of protection,...

They Were Stopped for Speaking Spanish. Now They're Suing

Complaint: 'no legitimate reason' for CBP to detain Ana Suda, Martha Hernandez, both US citizens

(Newser) - Two native-born US women were detained by a Border Patrol agent last May at a convenience store in Havre, Montana. Now those women are suing US Customs and Border Protection, noting in their complaint that the CPB agent "singled out, detained, and interrogated" Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi"...

Feds: Finding Deported Parents Should Be in ACLU's Hands

DOJ lawyers make the case in a court filing

(Newser) - The American Civil Liberties Union is balking at a request from the federal government to track down the deported parents of an estimated 431 children who remain in the US. "Not only was it the government's unconstitutional separation practice that led to this crisis, but the United States...

ACLU on 'Big Victory' at the Border: 'Tears Will Be Flowing'

Federal judge's orders reunification of separated migrant families must happen within 30 days

(Newser) - The ACLU claimed a "big victory" Tuesday in its fight with the Trump administration to reunite families separated at the border. "These families thought they might never see each other again. Tonight's court ruling will change lives," the ACLU tweeted on a federal judge's preliminary...

ACLU Blasts Taylor Swift's Attempt to Silence Critic

'Shake it off,' group says after lawsuit threat

(Newser) - A Sept. 5 blog post on PopFront took Taylor Swift to task for not taking a stand against the white supremacists twisting her music to promote their cause, noting her silence was akin to support. Swift's response has only drawn more reproach. In what an ACLU lawyer calls "...

After Charlottesville, ACLU Revises a Long-Held Stance

It won't defend groups who come armed to protests

(Newser) - If you're a hate group, you may be able to acquire a permit to hold a protest, but if you come packing firearms, don't expect the American Civil Liberties Union to come to your defense. Per the Wall Street Journal , that's the ACLU's new official position...

Settlement Reached in Landmark Torture Lawsuit

ACLU sued 2 psychologists who designed the harsh CIA interrogation program

(Newser) - A settlement was announced Thursday in a landmark lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against two psychologists involved in designing the CIA's harsh interrogation program used in the war on terror, the AP reports. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Trial had been scheduled for Sept....

The Name That Ga. Doesn't Want These Parents to Bestow

ACLU files suit on behalf of couple who chose 'noble' last name of 'Allah' for baby

(Newser) - A civil rights group sued Georgia over the state's refusal to allow a couple to officially name their 22-month-old child "Allah." The ACLU of Georgia filed the lawsuit recently in Fulton County Superior Court on behalf of the couple, Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk, the AP reports....

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