News & Commentary

St. Louis, MO -- Despite recent rulings that the Metropolitan Police Department of the City of St. Louis (SLMPD) must release certain investigative reports to the public, SLMPD has again withheld these open records and refused to give them to Curtis Farber. Because this refusal violates the Sunshine Law, the ACLU of Missouri today filed suit against SLMPD on behalf of Mr. Farber.

Jackson County has taken an important step in the right direction to stop the unconstitutional practice of shackling pregnant women while they are in labor. Nearly eight months after Megon Riedel filed her lawsuit against Jackson County and three correctional officers, the case has settled. Ms. Riedel had been shackled, chained and transported by van nearly 200 miles across state while she was in labor. Ms. Riedel sued Jackson County and three Jackson County Detention Center employees. She was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri.

Jeffrey Mittman, Executive Director of ACLU of Missouri, issued the following statement regarding the Missouri General Assembly passing government-issued photo ID legislation that could make it harder for up to 200,000 Missourians to vote:

Jeffrey Mittman, Executive Director of ACLU of Missouri, issued the following statement after anti-LGBT bill SJR 39 was defeated in the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee:

For the second time in six months, the ACLU of Missouri filed suit on behalf of a woman that was shackled, chained and transported hundreds of miles while in active labor with a high-risk pregnancy. Today, Tara Rhodes sued Mississippi County and seven Mississippi County Detention Center (MCDC) correctional officers for the cruel and unusual punishment that ultimately caused the death of her baby.

Repeated Requests by Harper Family for Records Related to Unsolved Shooting Go Unanswered

I have known that I was gay since third grade when I asked a girl to be my Valentine becaus

Late yesterday afternoon, the Circuit Court of Cole County affirmed its rulings in two separate cases that the Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) knowingly violated the Sunshine Law by failing to release the name of the pharmacy that supplies its execution drugs (The Reporters Committee, et al v. Missouri Department of Corrections) and refusing to release uncensored documents regarding the state’s execution witness selection protocol (ACLU of Missouri, et al v. Missouri Department of Corrections). In both cases, the MODOC was ordered to release the previously requested documents and to pay applicable fees and penalties.

Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri, issued the following statement regarding the Ferguson City Council's unanimous vote to accept the U.S. Department of Justice's consent decree: