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ACLU Rebukes Censorship of War Documentary (08/27/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today condemned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the effect of its vague and inconsistent treatment of “indecency.” Because of the uncertainty, some broadcasters are wary of airing a documentary on World War II since the fourteen hour movie contains a total of four expletives. The film, “The War” by filmmaker Ken Burns, is scheduled to air on the Public Broadcasting Channel on September 23. The FCC has the ability to enforce indecency laws by fining broadcasters for instances of “indecency” between 6 a.m. and 10pm.

ACLU Calls Government Settlement in Anti-Bush T-Shirt Case a Victory for Free Speech (08/16/2007)
CHARLESTON, WV – The American Civil Liberties Union today announced a successful resolution of the case of Jeffery and Nicole Rank, the young Texas couple arrested on the West Virginia capitol grounds on July 4, 2004 for peacefully expressing their opposition to President Bush. According to the settlement agreement, the United States government will pay the Ranks $80,000.

ACLU Sues TSA Official, JetBlue for Discriminating Against Passenger Wearing Arabic T-Shirt (08/09/2007)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit charging that a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official and JetBlue Airways illegally discriminated against an American resident based solely on the Arabic message on his t-shirt and his ethnicity.

ACLU Sues TSA Official, JetBlue for Discriminating Against Passenger Wearing Arabic T-Shirt (08/09/2007)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit charging that a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official and JetBlue Airways illegally discriminated against an American resident based solely on the Arabic message on his t-shirt and his ethnicity.

ACLU of Rhode Island Challenges Removal of Congressional Candidate's Political Signs (08/06/2007)
PROVIDENCE, RI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of former Congressional candidate Rod Driver, seeking a court order and damages against the town of Richmond and police chief Raymond Driscoll for repeatedly removing Driver's political signs from private property during the last election. The lawsuit charges that the town's actions amounted to a willful violation of Driver's First Amendment rights.

ACLU of Arizona Urges Senator Kyl to End Hold on FOIA Bill (08/02/2007)
PHOENIX - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today urged Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to end his hold on bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the public's right to know. The OPEN Government Act (S. 849) would eliminate the backlog in FOIA requests and provide reasonable consequences on federal agencies that miss deadlines for complying with FOIA.

ACLU Applauds House Action on Reporters’ Shield (08/01/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union was optimistic today after a mark-up in the House Judiciary Committee on legislation that would protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans. The Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, H.R. 2102, which contains specific speech protections for journalists, passed the committee by voice vote. The legislation would establish a qualified privilege protecting journalists from being compelled to reveal their anonymous sources, balanced with other interests. The privilege includes a narrow exception that would only allow a reporter to be compelled to reveal a source if there is an actual and imminent danger to national security or public safety.

ACLU and ACLU of Colorado Urge University of Colorado Not to Fire Professor (07/19/2007)
In an open letter to the University of Colorado Board of Regents released today, the ACLU and the ACLU of Colorado urged the Board to reject the recommendation of CU President Hank Brown to terminate Professor Ward Churchill. President Brown’s decision ran counter to the majority of the Appeals Panel of the Privilege and Tenure Committee, which concluded that dismissal was not warranted.

ACLU Objects to Rockefeller's Indecency Legislation, Bill Treads on the First Amendment (07/18/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union said today that indecency legislation, slated for markup in the Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow, violates the First Amendment. Recently introduced by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), S.1780 would attempt to regulate "indecent" television programming by instituting a Federal Communications Commission policy that a single word or image could be considered "indecent."

ACLU of Arkansas Supports Judge Facing Discipline for Criticizing Bush Administration (07/10/2007)
LITTLE ROCK, AR - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas filed a letter today with the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission in support of State Appeals Court Judge Wendell Griffen, who is facing disciplinary action by the commission for making public statements that are critical of the Bush administration. The ACLU said that any discipline by the commission would violate the judge's right to freedom of speech.

ACLU of New Jersey Challenges Arbitrary Police Fees for March (07/09/2007)
NEWARK - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and the Farmworkers' Support Committee today filed a lawsuit in federal district court against the city of Bridgeton for charging a fee of more than $1,500 for an immigrant rights March held on May 1.