At the American Civil Liberties Union, we consider Constitution Day on September 17 to be an important occasion, remembering the signing of the U.S. Constitution on that day in 1787. Beginning with the words, “We the people,” the Constitution is … Continue reading
KAMYAR SAMIMI died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on December 2, 2017, 15 days after ICE agents arrested him. Mr. Samimi held a green card and had lived in the U.S. for more than four decades. … Continue reading
BY: Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, Executive Director, and Denise Maes, Public Policy Director Use of violent force is never something to celebrate. Any time law enforcement officers legitimately use force or violence against people in the communities that they serve, it is at … Continue reading
With his selection of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy’s seat on the United States Supreme Court, President Donald Trump has the opportunity to alter the makeup of the Court for generations — and to place it far to the right of the American public. Justice Kennedy, himself a conservative appointed by President Ronald Reagan, proved to have an open mind in his more than 30 years on the bench and, as a result, kept the court within the mainstream of American society. Continue reading
The ACLU of Colorado opposes and our state constitution bans the funneling of public school money to private, religious schools. We have fought private school vouchers in Colorado, most recently when the Douglas County School Board tried for years to … Continue reading
By Ria Tabacco Mar OCTOBER 24, 2017 | 1:00 PM Five years ago, Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig walked into Masterpiece Cakeshop, a Lakewood, Colorado, bakery to purchase a cake for their wedding reception. But the bakery’s owner refused … Continue reading
Municipal judges have incredible power over the lives of the people who enter their courtrooms. When these judges refuse to follow the law and instead run their courtrooms like fiefdoms, they can ruin lives. This is starkly true for people already … Continue reading
By James Esseks, Director, LGBT & HIV Project September 7, 2017 Can businesses put up a sign that says, “We Don’t Sell To Gays?” President Trump says yes. Today Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the Supreme Court in an amicus … Continue reading
By Rebecca Wallace, Sara Neel, & Arash Jahanian AUGUST 31, 2017 | 3:15 PM It was an evening in late July when an ICE guard told France Anwar Elias and several other Iraqi men in immigration custody in Arizona that … Continue reading
MUNICIPAL DEFENDANTS OFTEN LANGUISH IN JAIL ON BONDS THAT THEY CANNOT AFFORD Statewide, the difference is striking—municipal defendants languish for weeks in jail on minor charges, while state and county defendants charged with serious offenses are brought promptly before a … Continue reading