Free Republic

The Ferguson Police Department's actions appear misleading and remarkably cynical. They call into question the department's commitment to ensuring an independent and impartial investigation into the killing of Michael Brown. The video and incident report released are of dubious relevance. The decision to disclose them suggests an attempt to assassinate Mr. Brown's character by showing that he had roughly pushed a convenience store clerk on the day that he was killed. The one-sided and piecemeal disclosure of potentially irrelevant and prejudicial information, while continuing to withhold the critical police incident report that the public has demanded, suggests a desire to...

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has sent letters to seven county sheriffs in Ohio asking them to ignore requests from the federal government to hold illegal immigrants until they can respond. The requests usually come from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but the ACLU says they're unconstitutional. "ICE detainers are not legally binding if they're not accompanied with probable cause or a warrant. They're merely requests," said Shakyra Diaz with the ACLU of Ohio. The letters went to sheriff's offices in Butler, Clark, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Mahoning, Montgomery, and Warren counties. "Those were the counties that had the highest...

A federal judge says a New Mexico city must remove a monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lawn in front of Bloomfield City Hall. The Daily Times reports that Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Parker issued a ruling Thursday in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, saying the monument constitutes government speech and has the “principal effect of endorsing religion.” …

ACLU: "No more deportations until illegals have lawyers." Hello? McFly? Anyone home? Think, McFly...they're trespassing illegal immigrants, a threat to national security and sovereignty, breaking countless federal and state statues. We have every right to arrest them and immediately deport them because they have absolutely no justifiable case; they're non-citizens who broke the law! Oh they have rights, alright; the right to go home and feel fortunate they weren't imprisioned! I'm going to jump the White House fence so the ACLU can immediately demand I can't be removed. I'll make sure to bring a tent, a potato gun and a...

Internal investigators have already dismissed most complaints of civil rights violations against immigration agents handling the surge of illegal immigrant children on the border, the Homeland Security Department inspector general said in a new report Thursday that details near-heroic efforts agents and officers are making. In its first report since the surge, the IG said agents have contracted everything from scabies and lice to chicken pox, including bringing the disease home to their own children, as they care for the children. Investigators also said they saw instances of agents and officers spending their own money to buy toys, clothing and...

The U.S. Justice Department plans to get involved in Wisconsin’s voter ID lawsuit, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a recent interview. “We have already filed suit in Texas and North Carolina,” Holder said. “I expect that we are going to be filing in cases that are already in existence in Wisconsin as well as in Ohio.” Holder’s comments were made in an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday. Holder’s office confirmed the statement but would not elaborate on what kind of action was planned. Wisconsin’s Republican attorney general, J.B. Van Hollen, criticized Holder’s comments. “He should focus on...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder plans to support an effort to overturn a Republican-passed election law that eliminates days from Ohio's early-voting period and ends same-day registration. In an interview with ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Holder said he expects to making filings in cases challenging Ohio and Wisconsin election laws. Holder told Thomas that he would “use every power that I have, every ability that I have, as attorney general, to defend that right to vote.” Pointing out that it was 50 years ago that three young civil rights workers were murdered in Mississippi, Holder told Thomas that...

In a drastically dishonest piece prominently featured on their Facebook page, the ACLU is campaigning to have the West Springfield police stripped of their grenade launchers, which are strictly used for tear gas and smoke grenades. Their post, however, does not mention that mention that such things could be used, and heavily implies that the police plan to shoot civilians with grenades. Further, the ad features a picture of two XM25 Grenade Launchers, which the police do not actually have. Instead, the police have M79s. The picture leadingly asks, despite the answer being obvious: "West Springfield police have two grenade...

WASHINGTON -- The World War II Memorial in Washington may soon have a new prayer inscription added, disappointing secularists and rights groups who had opposed the measure based on opposition to religion displayed in public spaces. President Barack Obama signed a law Monday calling for the fountain memorial to display the text of a national prayer given by Franklin D. Roosevelt during the D-Day invasion of Europe in 1944, which unleashed fierce fighting and eventually led to the end of the war. "With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the...

From a news release: Indianapolis - The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of a woman who was pulled over and interrogated after her bumper sticker caught the attention of Indianapolis police officers, violating her First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights. On June 17, Pamela Konchinsky of Indianapolis was turning into the Merchants Garage on South Meridian Street in her silver Toyota minivan when two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers entered the garage immediately behind her. One of the officers told Konchinsky that she was being detained because of a bumper sticker taped to the...

The American Civil Liberties Union has released the results of its year-long study of police militarization. {SNIP}But we’ve already seen cases in which the mere factor that the resident of a home was a legal gun owner — in some cases by virtue of the fact that the owner had obtained some sort of state license — was used as an excuse to execute a full-on SWAT raid to serve a warrant for an otherwise nonviolent crime. Of the SWAT raids the ACLU studied in which police cited the possibility of finding a weapon in the home, they actually found...

Lt. Jerry Bledsoe as shown on video Second Amendment supporters continue to use the First Amendment to support their rights.   It was only a few weeks ago that a New York Times blogger, Patrick Blanchfield, linked to Gun Watch to bolster his compelling case that open carry of firearms is protected political speech under the First Amendment.  Here is a case where the ACLU in Missouri has obtained a settlement against a police officer and department for suppressing First Amendment rights that were used to support Second Amendment rights.  From the ACLU in MO: CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO—Police Officer Jerry...

A federal judge struck down Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriage on Friday, ruling it unconstitutional. It wasn’t clear whether U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb's 88-page ruling cleared the way for same-sex marriages to begin immediately. But the ruling makes Wisconsin the 27th state where same-sex couples can marry under law or where a judge has ruled they ought to be allowed to wed. […] The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in February on behalf of four gay couples, then later expanded to eight, challenging Wisconsin’s constitutional ban on gay marriage. Messages left with ACLU’s attorneys were not immediately...

A Southwest Virginia public school has violated the First Amendment according to the American Civil Liberties Union. On May 22nd the A.C.L.U. sent Superintendent of Lee County Schools Mark Carter a letter saying immediate action needed to be taken after the A.C.L.U. received "a disturbing report of multiple First Amendment violations at Thomas Walker High School". According to the letter sent by the A.C.L.U. it says based on the information they have received "school officials, including teachers and administrators, are actively promoting religious practices during school hours on school grounds as a part of official school activities". (snip) The A.C.L.U....

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey filed lawsuits today against seven school districts, accusing them of discriminating against immigrant families by requiring government-issued identification from parents trying to enroll their children. Federal law and state regulation prohibits children from registering for school based on their parent’s immigrant status. The rights organization contends that Old Bridge Township, North Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Galloway Township, Audubon, Gloucester Township and Somerdale Park require driver’s licenses or other forms of identification that can only be obtained by immigrants with legal status.

An atheist college professor is going after a Missouri high school principal who delivered a faith-themed graduation speech that referenced prayer and the nation’s history of celebrating a higher power. Principal (Image source: YouTube) Principal Kevin Lowery invoked God in his graduation ceremony speech. (Image source: YouTube) Principal Kevin Lowery of Lebanon High School, a public school in Lebanon, Missouri, can be seen in a YouTube clip reminding graduates of America’s religious history before holding a moment of silence. “In fact, I’d like to remind our graduates that our nation’s motto is, in fact, ‘In God We Trust.’ If you’re...

In the nearly two weeks since South Tucson’s city council approved a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union over how its police department carries out SB 1070, officials from surrounding jurisdictions have pored over the terms of the deal. The agreement, which overhauled the department's immigration policy, has galvanized some Tucson-area elected officials to pursue procedures they believe better guard against prolonged detentions and racial profiling — two key concerns raised by critics of the law. “Now we have a case study, and we can compare notes,” said Regina Romero, a Tucson city councilwoman who has opposed the law...

The attorney general of Florida says in court documents that recognizing same sex marriages performed in other states would disrupt existing marriage laws and “impose significant public harm.” Eight gay couples and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state in federal court in March. The lawsuit argues Florida is discriminating against the couples by not recognizing same-sex marriages performed in states where they are legal. Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Republican who was named in the lawsuit along with fellow GOP Gov. Rick Scott and other state officials, earlier this month filed a lengthy response that asks a federal...

... The lawsuit filed Thursday says Customs and Border Protection hasn't responded to a request that the ACLU made in February to release the report under the Freedom of Information Act. The agency rejected the Police Executive Research Forum's recommendation that agents be prohibited from using deadly force against rock-throwers and assailants in vehicles. The LA Times obtained a copy of the report, which criticized the agency for a "lack of diligence" in investigating cases of deadly force.

he ACLU says it expects a federal judge will issue his decision Tuesday in its challenge to Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage, The civil liberties group, which is representing plaintiffs in the closely-watched case, said in a press release that it plans to hold rallies in major cities across the state, including Philadelphia, regardless of the outcome. The ACLU sued Gov. Corbett and his administration last July on behalf of 23 plaintiffs over the state's 1996 ban, which prohibits same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania and does not recognize such marriages performed elsewhere.