|
Home » News » Archives » April 2008 Archives
April 2008 Archives ACLU Says Court Strikes Appropriate Balance, Lets High School Student Wear "Be Happy, Not Gay" T-Shirt April 24, 2008 The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today agreed with the balance struck by a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in a case involving the right of a high school student to wear a t-shirt with the message, "Be Happy, not Gay." The appellate court held that the trial court should have granted the student a preliminary injunction protecting his First Amendment right to wear the t-shirt. The court also returned the case to the lower court for more complete review of the school's rules involving individual speech within the school. The case is Nuxoll et.al. v. Indian Prairie School District #204. read more » Judge Rejects Bush Administration's "State Secrets" Claim; Says FBI and Department of Homeland Security Must Reveal "Watchlist" Status for Americans Seeking End to Unnecessary, Unlawful Border Stops April 23, 2008 In a case challenging repeated, lengthy and abusive border stops of American citizens upon their return to the United States after traveling abroad, a federal magistrate judge in Chicago has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to disclose to the named plaintiffs whether or not their names appear on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). In making his ruling, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier rejected the Bush Administration's assertion of a "state secrets" privilege. Under the order made public for the first time last week, the government must produce documents indicating whether the ten named plaintiffs in the case, including lead plaintiff Akif Rahman of suburban Chicago, are listed on the TSDB. read more » ACLU, Civil Rights Groups Tell Chicago City Council that Police Contract Unnecessarily Protects Rogue Officers, Urge Change April 03, 2008 The current collective bargaining agreement between the City of Chicago and the local unit of the Fraternal Order of Police substantially burdens the investigation of officers who are accused of misconduct, according to testimony presented to the City Council today by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois on behalf of itself and a number of community-based organizations. Speaking to the Chicago City Council Police and Fire Committee this morning, ACLU of Illinois lawyer Wendy Park outlined four specific provisions in the current police contract that undermine the ability of the City and its citizens to hold rogue police officers accountable for misconduct. read more » |
|
