American Civil Liberties Union news stories on Newser

Teens Can't Be Suspended for MySpace Parodies

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:36:19 CDT

Two Pennsylvania teens cannot be disciplined at school for MySpace parodies of their principals created on home computers, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday in a high-profile case involving students and free speech. The postings, however lewd or offensive, were not likely to cause significant disruptions at school and are...

ACLU Wants Court to Ban Assassinations

Kevin Spak — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:39:34 CDT

The ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights have made a bold move in their quest to get Anwar al-Awlaki off the CIA's "capture or kill" list. The rights groups filed a lawsuit yesterday asking a federal court to declare all assassinations unconstitutional, unless the target poses an imminent, specific...

ACLU: Feds Covered Up Role in Torture of US Citizen

Kevin Spak — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:17:58 CDT

The ACLU is suing the federal government for ignoring its Freedom of Information Act inquiry into the detention and torture of an American citizen overseas. Naji Hamdan, who spent 20 years in California before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2006, was arrested in August 2008 and, according to...

ACLU Sues Arizona Over Immigration Law

Rob Quinn — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:28:44 CDT

The ACLU and several other civil rights groups yesterday sued Arizona over what one lawyer calls the state's "shameful, un-American" immigration law. The federal class-action suit charges that Arizona's law is unconstitutional, will lead to widespread racial profiling, and violates the free-speech rights of day laborers, the Los Angeles Times...

Democrats' ID Card Plan: Get Your Fingerprints

John Johnson — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:15:00 CDT

Now it's the Democrats' turn to be accused of trying to violate civil liberties in the name of immigration reform. A crucial part of their plan calls for what amounts to a high-tech national ID card. It would have a "biometrics" component—namely fingerprints—and every worker would need one...

Supreme Court Sides With Obama on Torture Photos

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:51:49 CST

The Supreme Court threw out an appeals court ruling ordering the disclosure of photographs of detainees being abused by their US captors today, citing a recent change in federal law that allows the pictures to be withheld. The justices issued a brief, and expected, order directing the 2nd US Circuit...

Taser Tells Cops: Don't Aim at Chest

Harry Kimball — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:35:37 CDT

Stun gun maker Taser has issued an advisory to police departments suggesting cops not aim at a suspect’s chest because it poses an "extremely low" chance of triggering an "adverse cardiac event." The company insists its product is safe, but if something goes wrong, "it would place the law-enforcement agency,...

Obama Supports Extending Patriot Act Provisions

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:30:41 CDT

The Obama administration supports extending three controversial provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year, AP reports. The Justice Department tells Congress in a letter they will back preserving the post-9/11 law's authority to access business records, monitor so-called "lone wolf" terrorists,...

Court: Ashcroft on Hook in Post-9/11 Detention Case

Will McCahill — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:36:47 CDT

Former Bush attorney general John Ashcroft can be held personally responsible in a lawsuit brought by a US citizen who was detained on suspicion of being a material witness to terrorism but was never charged with a crime, an appellate court ruled today. Abdullah al-Kidd alleged the detention, begun in...