Latest From ACLU of Washington

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

Grant County Agrees to Overhaul Public Defense System

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
Settling a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and Columbia Legal Services, Grant County officials have agreed to overhaul the county’s system for providing legal defense to people charged with felonies who cannot afford an attorney. Under the settlement, the county will reduce excessive caseloads, guarantee that public defense lawyers are qualified to handle serious felony cases, and provide adequate funding for investigators and expert witnesses.
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City of Seattle Agrees to Pay $47,500 in Lawsuit over Disruption of March

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The city of Seattle and the ACLU have reached a partial settlement of a lawsuit over police disruption of a 2003 march by opponents of police brutality.
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High Court Protects Privacy of Hotel Guests

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that people do not give up their right to privacy when they check into a hotel. The Court reviewed a case dealing with police sweeps of motel guest registries in Lakewood.
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New State Rule Clarifies 60-Day Supply of Medical Marijuana

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
On October 2, 2008, the Department of Health adopted a rule defining a "60-day supply" of medical marijuana. It specifies that a qualifying patient or designated provider "may possess a total of no more than twenty-four ounces of usable marijuana, and no more than fifteen plants." It makes no distinction between mature and immature plants.
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A Win for Prisoners To Receive Publications

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
In a victory for prisoner rights, a federal appeals court has found that corrections officials cannot prevent inmates from receiving bulk mail sent at nonprofit postal rates.
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ACLU Supports Safe Schools

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
In the wake of the tragic murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Wyoming, civil rights advocates in Washington are calling for passage of the Safe Schools Act.
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ACLU Launches Campaign To Defend The Constitution

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
As the nation approaches the one-year anniversary of the USA PATRIOT Act, the American Civil Liberties Union today announced a new nationwide effort to recover the freedoms that Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Bush Administration have rolled back since last year's terrorist attacks. "Keep America Safe and Free: The Campaign to Defend the Constitution" is a national effort involving litigation, grassroots organizing, and community education in all 50 states.
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Bill Would Provide for DNA Testing of Evidence

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
A bill was introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives today to provide that an incarcerated person may ask a court for DNA testing of biological evidence relating to his or her case.
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Lesbian Mother Can Seek Parental Rights

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Washington Supreme Court has granted a woman the opportunity to seek parental rights with a child she helped raise with her former partner.
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Seattle Student Earns ACLU Scholarship

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
Khalil Hassam, a senior at University Prep in Seattle who has worked to build tolerance and respect for diversity at his school, has been awarded a 2006 American Civil Liberties Union Youth Activist scholarship.
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2009 ACLU Youth Activist Scholarship Program

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
16 high school students from across the country will each be awarded a $12,500 college scholarship for their dedication to preserve our civil liberties.
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ACLU-WA Opposes Making Parents Pay Costs of Incarcerating Children

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
At its June meeting the ACLU-WA Board of Directors adopted a policy opposing laws that require parents to make financial contributions toward the costs of their child
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ACLU Urges Court To Uphold Pregnant Woman's Right To Divorce

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The ACLU of Washington, the National ACLU's Women's Rights Project, and the Northwest Women’s Law Center today filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Washington Court of Appeals backing a woman’s right to end her marriage regardless of whether she is pregnant.
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High Court Lets Ruling Against Bellingham Curfew Stand

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
In an order signed by Chief Justice Barbara Durham on May 12th, the Washington Supreme Court has decided not to review a 1997 Court of Appeals ruling that found unconstitutional the Bellingham juvenile curfew ordinance enacted in 1992.
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ACLU Seeks Compensation for Somali Businessmen

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The American Civil Liberties Union today filed claims for compensation with the U.S. Treasury Department on behalf of two Somali businessmen in Seattle. The businessmen seek fair compensation for losses suffered from a raid in early November by government agents seeking assets of a completely separate money-transfer business.
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