Latest From ACLU of Washington

The latest content and updates from the ACLU of Washington website.

Published: 
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Washington Supreme Court issued a great and unanimous ruling for disabled students this Thursday in a case (Dowler v. Clover Park School District)  in which the ACLU-WA submitted a friend-of-the-court brief.  The facts in the case were horrendous, and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was being used to stop the students from getting relief. 
Published: 
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Seattle Times cover story on marijuana grow operations on Native American land highlights the fact that lots of marijuana is being grown outdoors in Washington -- as this blog has pointed out previously. The problem of large outdoor marijuana grows is a prime example of why we should be taking a new approach to marijuana policy in our state.
Published: 
Friday, August 19, 2011
Too often, user privacy is an afterthought in the design of computer software and online services.  For companies, the costs in lost consumer confidence, fines, and corrective measures can be substantial. Everyday users pay a price as well, and for victims of domestic violence, political protesters, whistleblowers, and others whose safety and livelihood could hinge on their privacy, those costs can be devastating.
Published: 
Thursday, August 18, 2011
As a college student, I could have spent my last summer before graduation doing any assortment of activities. I could have embraced living in Seattle by getting a job in a hip coffee shop. I could have traveled, trying to see the world before I get a job that requires me to stay in one place. Or I could have taken a full load of classes, trying to get ahead on credits so that I could add an extra major or try classes for which I wouldn’t normally have time.
Published: 
Friday, August 12, 2011
Often, we take for granted our abilities to attend protests, to speak our opinions, to remain silent under arrest, and more – rights that are not guaranteed in many places.  As a communications intern, I got a vivid reminder of this when I recently helped staff an ACLU of Washington table at Hispanic Seafair.
Published: 
Thursday, August 11, 2011
On the heels of Seattle Weekly reporter Nina Shapiro’s in-depth examination of the Border Patrol’s aggressive tactics on the Olympic Peninsula (“Twilight for Immigrants”) comes a revelation that sheds light on the troubling situation. In a follow-up story, Shapiro reports about a Border Patrol whistleblower who has come forward to assert that BP agents don’t have meaningful work to do far from our northern border. 
News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The ACLU of Washington has joined a class action lawsuit filed against Mount Vernon and Burlington over the cities’ failure to provide meaningful assistance of counsel to indigent persons who face criminal charges in municipal court. Defendants are being denied their fundamental rights because their public defenders have shockingly huge caseloads.
Published: 
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
  Compliance with the state’s public disclosure law is important to ensuring that government is open and accountable. King County just got a strong reminder of this and is paying a $125,000 settlement to a couple who alleged that officials wrongfully withheld public records. The Seattle Times tells the story behind the settlement.    
News Release, Published: 
Monday, August 8, 2011
The ACLU –WA and other privacy advocates have announced that Gibberbot, a secure instant messaging and chat app, is the winner of the 2011 Develop for Privacy Challenge. The Challenge co-sponsors made the announcement in a celebratory event at the DEFCON security conference.
Published: 
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
From her career as an athlete came some important lessons: “Don’t fear a challenge, welcome it.” “The game ain’t over till it’s over – there are many quarters, many innings, and you have to play every one hard.” “You’ll never know the true joy of victory unless you have known defeat. Be humble in both.” Maj. Margaret Witt found these maxims from the world of sports stood her in good stead during her years of service in the military – and during her long legal battle with the government over her dismissal from the military under the now-repealed “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.  
News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The ACLU-WA is seeking to learn when, why and how local law enforcement agencies are using cellphone location data to track Americans.  We’ve started with public records requests today to the cities of Bellevue, Tacoma, Yakima, and Spokane.
Published: 
Friday, July 29, 2011
A dynamite cover story in the latest Seattle Weekly – “Twilight for Immigrants” by Nina Shapiro – details the havoc being wreaked on lives and a community’s fabric by the U.S. Border Patrol’s heavy-handed tactics on Olympic Peninsula. The article is full of disturbing incidents which challenge the Border Patrol’s bland assertion that it does not engage in racial profiling.

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