News Releases

News Release, Published: 
Thursday, October 14, 2010
In a victory for privacy and free speech on the Internet, a federal court emphasized  that government officials cannot watch over our shoulders to see what we are buying and reading.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, October 11, 2010
A federal court in Yakima has quashed a subpoena that demanded the medical information of 17 medical marijuana patients, citing the need to protect their privacy. The ACLU represented the medical clinic that holds the patients’ records.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, October 4, 2010
It’s like something out of Dickens: Poor people being jailed for failing to pay debts they can never hope to afford. Washington is one of five states highlighted in a new report on this increasing practice and its devastating impacts on individuals.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, October 4, 2010
The ACLU of Washington and Columbia Legal Services have issued a report examining the unfair burdens court-ordered debts impose on poor people in Washington. “Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons: The Ways Court-Imposed Debts Punish People for Being Poor” exposes a counterproductive system and calls for reform.
News Release, Published: 
Friday, September 24, 2010
U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton has ordered the Air Force to reinstate Major Margaret Witt, a decorated flight nurse who had been dismissed under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. After six days of trial, the Court found that Major Witt’s sexual orientation does not negatively impact unit morale or cohesion.  ACLU of Washington attorneys have directly represented Major Witt since her case began in 2006.
News Release, Published: 
Friday, September 10, 2010
The landmark case of Major Margaret Witt, a decorated U.S. Air Force nurse dismissed on grounds that she engaged in homosexual conduct, went to trial on Sept. 13 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.  The ACLU of Washington is representing Maj. Witt in challenging her discharge under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Pictured above: Major Witt (far right) deployed in Oman.
News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
In the wake of the tragic shooting of a Native American wood carver, the ACLU-WA told Seattle leaders they must provide leadership in preventing overreactions by police. Among other changes, officers must be trained to understand that “appearing different” doesn’t make someone a threat to public safety.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, August 30, 2010
The ACLU of Washington has told the Oak Harbor School Board that a proposed policy for searching student cell phones goes too far. It violates privacy to allow school administrators to search student cell phones without the permission of students or their parents.
News Release, Published: 
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Public records obtained by the ACLU-WA show that the University of Washington Police Department authorized an undercover officer to attend, participate in, and collect information about meetings student activists on campus. ACLU-WA executive director Kathleen Taylor and recent UW Law School graduates Salmun Kazerounian and Sarah White discussed concerns at a press conference at the ACLU office.
News Release, Published: 
Friday, July 2, 2010
  Racial, ethnic, disability, sexual orientation, and other kinds of discrimination remains a pervasive problem in Washington schools. Discrimination shows up in a variety of forms, among them harassment, disparate discipline including suspensions and expulsions, over-referral to special education, and under-inclusion in advanced-placement classes. Such discrimination contributes to lower achievement and higher dropout rates among student populations.   Originally published in the Summer 2010 issue of the WSBA Civil Rights Newsletter. 

Pages