News

DENVER – ACLU of Colorado sent letters to 31 cities across the state today demanding that they repeal unconstitutional laws that restrict panhandling. The letters are part of a coordinated effort, organized by the National Center on Homelessness and Poverty, involving 18 organizations in 12 states targeting more than 240 outdated panhandling bans. In Colorado, individualized letters were sent challenging ordinances in Aguilar, Alma, Berthoud, Blue River, Brush, Central City,  Columbine.... | Read More

Join the fight for civil rights and civil liberties in Colorado. We're hiring a Director of Campaigns. Find out more and apply today. JOB ANNOUNCEMENT DIRECTOR OF CAMPAIGNS If you are passionate about protecting the rights of ALL people, there has never been a more exciting time to pursue a career at the ACLU, the nation’s foremost defender of civil liberties and civil rights. As we face unprecedented challenges to civil rights and liberties for immigrant families and asylum seekers,.... | Read More

DENVER - El Paso County has agreed, as part of a 190,000 settlement with ACLU of Colorado, to compensate 184 people, including ACLU client Jasmine Still, who were held in the El Paso County Jail solely because they could not pay a $55 fee. The proposed settlement, which is expected to be formally approved by county commissioners on Tuesday, provides for a $60,000 payment for Still’s damages, attorneys’ fees and costs. An additional 183 people are eligible for compensation based on a rate of.... | Read More

https://soundcloud.com/thepurplestatereport/scotus-and-life-after-roe With Justice Kennedy’s retirement and Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court there are a lot of anxieties about civil liberties in general, but specifically reproductive rights. On this episode, ACLU of Colorado Reproductive Rights Campaign Coordinator Delana Maynes interviews Reproductive Rights Policy Council Lizzy Hinkley on the real possibility that the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade. Later.... | Read More

DENVER – The ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit today against Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell alleging that he is violating Colorado law by continuing to jail an individual who is eligible for release, at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).   Leonardo Canseco is charged with two misdemeanors, and the Teller County Court set his bond at $800. According to the lawsuit, the sheriff is acting on a detainer request from federal immigration authorities, who suspect that.... | Read More

A Note from Public Policy Director Denise Maes Colorado’s legislative session is 120 days and a great deal happens in these mere four months that affect many Coloradans. For example, in the 2018 session, transportation and education saw unprecedented gains in funding. The legislature infused $645 million into multi-modal transportation and infrastructure and increased per pupil funding by $469 per student. Civil liberties legislation rarely gets much attention. The one exception this year.... | Read More