Latest From ACLU of Washington

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

Promoting Bible Week Is Not The Mayor's Job

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The mayors of Kent and Seattle overstepped the line separating religion and government when they issued official proclamations designating November 22-29, 1998 as "Bible Week," said ACLU-WA Legislative Director Jerry Sheehan, when he learned of the actions.
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Settlement Reached in Harassment of Gay Student

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The ACLU-WA and Kent School District in November reached an out-of-court settlement in the lawsuit filed by former student Mark Iversen. Iversen filed suit against the school district in 1997, alleging it did not respond adequately to incidents of harassment based on his perceived sexual orientation.
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ACLU Files First Nationwide Challenge to the No-Fly List

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
A member of the military, a retired Presbyterian minister, and a college student are among seven U.S. citizens who have joined the first nationwide, class-action challenge to the government’s “No-Fly” list filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union.
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Anti-Terrorism Proposals Defeated in State Legislature

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
Civil libertarians held the line against efforts to enact overly broad laws as the Washington Legislature adjourned without passing proposed anti-terrorism measures.
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Schools May Consider Race in Admissions

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
A federal court has ruled that Seattle Schools may use race as one of several tiebreaking factors in assigning students to schools. The ACLU filed amicus briefs supporting the case.
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Governor Signs Bill Rejecting REAL ID

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
Washington joins Maine, Idaho, Arkansas and Montana in adopting measures to reject REAL ID, a new federal identification system that would create a de facto national ID card.
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Settlement of Lawsuit Results in Hundreds of New American Citizens

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
On September 12, 2008, in Tukwila, Washington, over 250 people took the oath to become naturalized U.S. citizens—in time to vote in the November elections. The ceremony is the result of a class action lawsuit brought by The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, and the law firms of Stoel Rives and Ropes and Gray.
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ACLU Sues over Inhumane Conditions at Jefferson County Jail

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The American Civil Liberties Union today filed suit over inhumane conditions for prisoners at the Jefferson County Jail in Port Hadlock.
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N30: Seattle Gets Some of It Right

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
As Seattle neared "N30," the one-year anniversary of the World Trade Organization (WTO) protests on November 30th, free speech advocates held our collective breath in hopes that the City would "get it right" this time by dealing properly with protest activities. Responding to saber-rattling comments by some officials, the ACLU urged the City to respect free speech rights, and we readied our Web site report form to receive complaints of police misconduct.
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ACLU Proposes Bills to Protect Medical Privacy

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
Responding to citizen demands for action to safeguard sensitive personal information, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington has drafted House and Senate bills to protect the privacy of people’s medical information. The bills would prohibit non-health care providers with legitimate access to medical records from disclosing these medical records to anyone else for further use. The bills would bar insurance companies from marketing medical records to third parties.
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Suspensions Removed from Student Records

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sunnyside High School students and their parents have negotiated an agreement with Sunnyside School District to clear illegally imposed suspensions from the students’ school records. The suspensions were imposed when the students left school last November to protest the passage of Initiative 200, a measure restricting affirmative action programs.
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ACLU Offers Legal Advice on Protecting Privacy of Book Purchases

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is offering free legal advice to booksellers in the state who receive subpoenas or search warrants seeking disclosure of customer purchase records. The ACLU is making the offer in letters sent to booksellers statewide.
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Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Bill Would Bar Forfeiture of Property Without Convictions

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
A bill was introduced in the Senate today to bar government forfeiture and sale of a person's property unless the person has been convicted of a crime.
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Grant County Agrees to Overhaul Public Defense System

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
Settling a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and Columbia Legal Services, Grant County officials have agreed to overhaul the county’s system for providing legal defense to people charged with felonies who cannot afford an attorney. Under the settlement, the county will reduce excessive caseloads, guarantee that public defense lawyers are qualified to handle serious felony cases, and provide adequate funding for investigators and expert witnesses.
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City of Seattle Agrees to Pay $47,500 in Lawsuit over Disruption of March

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The city of Seattle and the ACLU have reached a partial settlement of a lawsuit over police disruption of a 2003 march by opponents of police brutality.
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