The ACLU of Colorado’s Legal Department works to protect and defend civil liberties through litigation as well as legal advocacy outside the courtroom. With only three full-time attorneys on staff, the ACLU also relies on the work of dedicated volunteer cooperating attorneys from around the state who are willing to donate their time and talent to assist our struggle for liberty.
Litigation & Legal Advocacy
City of Boulder v. Madison
Homeless persons in Boulder are at risk of being prosecuted under a city ordinance that prohibits “camping.” The law prohibits sleeping outside with “shelter,” which Boulder defines to include any protection from the elements other than clothing. Thus, under Boulder’s ordinance, sleeping outside at night is not “camping,”....
Criminal Justice
Searches of students’ cell phone text messages
Administrators at Louisville's Monarch High School were seizing students’ cell phones, reading text messages, and transcribing messages the administrators deemed incriminating. Responding to complaints from students and parents, the ACLU wrote to the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education, asserting that the non-consensual searches violated....