News Releases

Skamania County Superior Court Judge E. Thompson Reynolds today sentenced a seriously ill medical marijuana patient to 60 days of electronic home detention, despite the fact that she had her doctor’s written recommendation for medical marijuana. The sentence for Sharon Tracy came after the Washington Supreme Court in November 2006 had rejected her doctor’s written recommendation for medical marijuana because the doctor was licensed in another state. Tracy, who is on public assistance, was also ordered to pay $3,000 in appeal costs plus the costs of her home detention.

Unconstitutional law allows spying on Americans without warrants or judicial oversight, threatening privacy and free speech rights.

Gov. Chris Gregoire today signed into law the "Fair Play" bill (SB 5967) to prohibit sex discrimination in public community sports programs. The ACLU-WA worked for its passage as part of a partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation to promote equal treatment for women and girls in sports.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Legal Services today are filing a class-action lawsuit seeking to reform Grant County

The Pierce County Council voted unanimously on Aug. 9 to repeal a rule that barred speakers at public meetings from attacking or questioning the motives of council members. The action followed a letter by the ACLU objecting to the policy.

For the second straight year, the first week of school brought the ACLU a plea for help from a student in trouble for refusing to stand for the flag salute.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington announced today that it is offering free legal representation to anyone in the state who is approached by the FBI during its latest round of "dragnet" interviews of Arabs and Muslims.

King County Superior Court Judge James Doerty today ordered King County election officials to count all ballots for a Medina City Council seat on which a candidate’s name is clearly written.

The Islamic Education Center of Seattle (IECS) will be able to use a residential property to gather and worship, following arguments by the ACLU that the city did not have a compelling interest to deny the group a permit.

The ACLU has filed a suit challenging the dismissal of Margaret Witt, a much-decorated major and flight nurse in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, on grounds that she has engaged in homosexual conduct.