News Releases

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.

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.

  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. 

In response to civil liberties threats caused by the passage of Arizona's racial profiling law, the ACLU of Washington issued a travel alert today informing Washington residents of their rights when stopped by law enforcement when traveling in Arizona. News Flash: Court Blocks Implementation of Key Sections of Arizona's Racial Profiling Law

Three law enforcement agencies in Washington are paying a total of $418,000 to resolve a lawsuit over the wrongful arrest and covert surveillance of an Olympia activist who was prevented from participating in a lawful demonstration.

Founded in 1935 by a small group of labor activists and others in Seattle, the ACLU of Washington has grown to become a statewide organization with more than 20,000 card-carrying members and a staff of nearly 30.

Standing up for consumer rights, the ACLU says that individuals have the right to read books, view films, and buy other items without the government keeping tabs on what they choose to read, watch, or purchase.

Shown at left are St. Sen. Rosa Franklin and WA Attorney General Rob McKenna. A new law that aims to save lives by encouraging people who witness drug overdoses to call 911 is going into effect. Promoted by the ACLU-WA and passed by the 2010 legislature, the “911 Good Samaritan” law provides immunity from drug possession charges to people who seek medical assistance in drug overdose situations.

Washington State voters passed the Medical Use of Marijuana Act in 1998 as a ballot initiative (I-692).  The information here provides a general explanation of the law.