ACLU News

News & Action April 15, 2008 ACLU Assembling Defense Teams for Guantánamo "High-Value" Prisoners In a legal move almost certain to have enormous historical impact on par with the ACLU's challenge to the government's internment of Japanese-Americans, the ACLU announced that it is assembling defense teams to assist in the representation of "high value" detainees facing prosecution in Guantánamo military commission proceedings. The project is undertaken to protect American values of fairness and justice and the constitutional guarantee of due process. The ACLU contends that America does not stand for: • trials that rely on torture to gain confessions • trials that rely on secret evidence that a defendant cannot rebut • trials that rely on hearsay evidence. These proceedings are an affront to civil liberties and a stain on America's reputation around the world. The staff and board of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties are proud that our organization has taken this principled, albeit controversial stand. Read more... Spread the Word! Keep Discriminatory Amendment Off the Ballot! With just one week left to qualify for the ballot, proponents of a constitutional amendment that would ban marriage for LGBT couples say they have gathered 90% of the signatures needed. Gov. Schwarzenegger said recently said he would oppose such a measure, saying he would "always be there to fight against" such an amendment and that the amendment was "a waste of time." We need your help to spread the word that this is a discriminatory measure that would set us back decades in the struggle for marriage equality. We urge you to write letters to the editor and send emails to all your friends and colleagues. Some supporters of marriage equality are being misled into signing the petitions, being told by signature gatherers that the measure is in favor of marriage equality. Because the proposed ballot initiative would change the state constitution, the legislature would be prohibited from passing another bill in the future, erasing years of progress. And since constitutional amendments take precedence over legislation and limit the authority of courts, current cases that might lead to marriage equality would be stopped or reversed. Make sure everyone in your circle knows the truth about this discriminatory amendment! Come Celebrate Labor AND Human Rights! Please join us in a first-of-its-kind celebration and fundraiser for the Employee Rights Center!  The catered event takes place on May Day (sometimes called International Workers Day), May 1, 2008, from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Handlery Hotel, and is co-sponsored by the ACLU and numerous local labor unions to memorialize the historic and modern day connection between the labor and human rights movements. (The ACLU was founded to defend the rights of laborers who tried to organize and speak out for workers' rights.) The May Day event benefits the tremendous work of the only local non-profit program dedicated to the education and advocacy to all workers, especially disadvantaged workers, regarding their rights at work. Click here to learn more or here to register or contact Lauren or at (619) 232.2121, ext. 27 for details. ACLU Defends Controversial Speech - Part 2 Last year, the ACLU filed an amicus brief in a significant free speech case, Harper v. Poway Unified School District, arguing that an anti-gay t-shirt worn by high school student did not amount to harassment that the school was allowed to punish. The case is now back in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, on appeal from summary judgment by the district court after the Supreme Court vacated the 9th Circuit's previous opinion as moot upon the student's graduation. The court is considering a provocative question: whether the school's speech policies are unconstitutional on their face. San Diego ACLU filed a new amicus brief earlier this month, maintaining that the court is right to take seriously the harassment and invasion of rights of others, but that in this case, First Amendment rights are paramount. Read more... Immigration Rule on Background Checks Eases A change in immigration rules will allow thousands of immigrants, already in the United States and applying for legal residency, to get their green cards before FBI background checks are completed, officials declared last month. The ACLU welcomed the change, saying it was a "step in the right direction." The ACLU has filed several lawsuits on behalf of immigrants applying for citizenship, including here in San Diego, who have had to wait for months and even years for their applications to be processed because of the FBI checks, contending that the databases the bureau relies on are riddled with errors that lead to the delays. Read more... S.F. Judge Dissolves His Wikileaks Injunction A federal judge in San Francisco who had ordered the shutdown of a whistle-blowers' website where private bank documents were posted changed his mind Friday, conceding his original ruling might not have been constitutional. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White drew nationwide attention-and widespread criticism-from civil liberties groups and news organizations, with his February injunction requiring a Bay Area Internet registrar to disable the Wikileaks.org site and prevent the organization from transferring to another server. Ann Brick, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, said White "understood the limits the First Amendment places on what courts can do to deprive the public of the right to know." Read more... National Membership Conference: Stand Up for Freedom! ACLU members from throughout the U.S. will converge on Washington, D.C. for three days of advocacy, leadership discussions, Capitol Hill meetings and hands-on activist training. Elected officials, celebrities, renowned experts, and some of the ACLU's most inspiring clients, will join together to stand up for freedom. If YOU are committed to letting this administration know that it must stop its abuses of power, then join members from around the country June 8 - 10, 2008 to make your voice heard -- and make a difference. Learn more... Click here to register --early bird registration ends May 4th! Forum on Detainees and Federal Habeas Corpus San Diego ACLU members and friends are invited to a forum presented by the San Diego Chapter of the American Constitution Society and the San Diego Chapter of The Federalist Society, "Detention, the Constitution and Off-Shore Dealings: Detainees and Federal Habeas Corpus," on Thursday, April 10, 2008, 7:00 pm at the SD County Bar Association. 1.0 hours of MCLE credit. RSVP here. Our 75th Gala - An Enormous Success! Our thanks to all of you who attended our 75th anniversary bash last month! A sell-out crowd gathered to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties' fight to protect freedom and civil liberties in our region. Guests were treated to a combination of education, entertainment, and inspiration provided by keynote speaker Erwin Chemerinsky and the irreverent comedy of Tom Smothers. Read more...