Latest From ACLU of Washington

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

The 911 Good Samaritan Law Is Working

Published: 
Friday, November 18, 2011
In 2010, the ACLU of Washington was instrumental in the passage of the nation’s second “911 Good Samaritan” law. New research from the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute shows that the 911 Good Samaritan law works.
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ACLU-WA Honors Advocates for Justice

News Release, Published: 
Monday, November 7, 2011
The ACLU-WA presented its annual Bill of Rights awards to Seattle social justice attorney Peter Greenfield, Yakima Valley community advocates Paula Zambrano and Patricia Flores, and youth activist Gaby Rodriguez of Toppenish. Awardees accepted the honors at the Bill of Rights Celebration Dinner.
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Lawsuit to Uphold Free Speech Rights on Metro Buses Moves to Appeals Court

News Release, Published: 
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The ACLU-WA is appealing to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in its lawsuit for the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign challenging King County’s cancellation of the group’s paid bus ad. The suit reminds us that it is when we are faced with controversial speech, speech that is upsetting to some people, that support of the First Amendment is most important.
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In Pursuit of Liberty: Peter Greenfield Receives William O. Douglas Award

Published: 
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
On May 10, 1970, a Washington state college student joined a chorus of anti-war voices by waving his version of the American flag. It featured a peace symbol – and it got him arrested under Washington’s flag-desecration statute. The student was convicted. The Washington Supreme Court did not grant his appeal. But in a landmark case (Spence v. Washington) won by Seattle attorney Peter Greenfield, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the decision as a violation of the First Amendment.
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Post-Racial Seattle? Not Yet

Published: 
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Racial discrimination in housing has been illegal in the United States for over 40 years. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 makes it a crime to discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin in all housing-related transactions.  But a recent study conducted by the Seattle Office of Civil Rights demonstrates that housing discrimination is far from dead.
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Mission Creep: The Patriot Act and the War on Drugs

Published: 
Friday, October 28, 2011
One disturbing consequence of the Patriot Act, which just marked its ten-year anniversary, is how it has been used for law enforcement actions not related to combating terrorism -- the rationale for the Act's passage. A glaring example can be seen in the use of "sneak and peak” searches for drug crimes.
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ACLU-WA Receives Award for Racial Justice Work

Published: 
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
On October 22, the Minority Executive Directors Coalition (MEDC) of King County presented the ACLU-WA its Founders Award for our work calling for a Department of Justice investigation of the Seattle Police Department and advocating for communities of color.
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Lawsuit Seeks Access to Information on Internet For Adult Library Patrons

News Release, Published: 
Monday, October 24, 2011
  Oral argument is being held on Oct. 25 in an ACLU lawsuit defending the rights of adults to access information on the Internet on public library computers. The suit challenges a central Washington library system’s filtering policy that hampers adults in researching school assignments, locating businesses and organizations, and doing personal reading on lawful subjects.   
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25 Years Old and Time to Grow Up: The Electronic Communications Privacy Act

Published: 
Friday, October 21, 2011
In the early months of 1986, my parents bought my sister and me our first computer, an Apple IIe, and all of a sudden I was playing Oregon Trail at home, in color no less! That summer, I watched in awe as Ferris Bueller effortlessly hacked his way into the school computer to change his absences. He was indeed a righteous dude, and thus began my ill-fated campaign to acquire a modem.
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