News Releases

News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
Responding to problems faced by students in several schools, the American Civil Liberties Union is advising school officials statewide that their existing rules for student-organized clubs may discriminate against some student organizations. In a letter sent to school districts throughout Washington, the ACLU explained that federal law makes it clear that student clubs promoting tolerance for gay students are entitled to the same resources as other clubs.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) has the same free speech rights as other student clubs at Federal Way High School, thanks to action by the ACLU. In March school officials notified the GSA that a student government vote against the club will not be grounds for denying it equal access to school resources.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
The American Civil Liberties Union today is seeking a Temporary Restraining Order against the City of Tacoma to enable a political action group to obtain a permit for a march. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group (TLPSG), a group that works to advance the rights of Native Americans.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
Damian Ball, a senior at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, has been selected to receive a Youth Activist Scholarship Award in recognition of his work for civil liberties. The $4,000 college scholarship is one of 14 awarded by the American Civil Liberties Union to high school students around the nation.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
Jessica Beckett, a senior at North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo, has been selected to receive a Youth Activist Scholarship Award in recognition of her work for civil liberties. The $4,000 college scholarship is one of nine awarded by the American Civil Liberties Union to high school students around the nation.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
Reasonable rules against harassment on the basis of sexual orientation do not violate the free speech rights of students and teachers. Here are some general guidelines for striking a balance between protecting free speech and protecting students against harassment.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
Noting that freedom of speech is "essential to our democratic ideals," U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik today overturned the ban on candidates mentioning their opponents in the City of Seattle's voter pamphlet. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU challenging the Seattle Ethics and Election Commission's censorship of candidate statements. Agreeing with the ACLU's arguments, Judge Lasnik found that the restriction on candidate statements violates the First Amendment because it bans the expression of certain viewpoints.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the City of Pasco, WA violated the rights of two artists when it censored their works. The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington on behalf of artists Janette Hopper and Sharon Rupp challenging the exclusion of their works from a program to display art at the Pasco City Hall in 1996.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
Increasingly, corporations and some police officials around the country are seeking to silence their critics by filing actions known as SLAPP suits, or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. These suits aim to intimidate citizen activists with limited means by forcing them to spend time and money on baseless legal proceedings.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 2, 2009
Seeking to promote open government, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today filed a lawsuit seeking public documents about the City of Seattle's stance in contract negotiations with the Seattle Police Guild.

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