News & Commentary

On Nov. 10, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Bilgin Şaşmaz, a journalist with the Turkish Anadolu Agency who was on assignment covering the protests in Ferguson after the killing of Michael Brown. Şaşmaz’ rights under the First Amendment to freedom of the press and freedom of speech were violated. His photographic equipment was damaged and image files confiscated.

U.S. District Court Judge Ortrie D. Smith ruled today that same-sex couples can obtain marriage licenses. This judgment strikes down Missouri’s 2004 constitutional amendment that excluded gay men and lesbians from marriage allowing Missouri to join the 32 states and the District of Columbia that issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

By Mustafa Abdullah

ST. LOUIS – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri launched a smart phone app called the ACLU of Missouri Mobile Justice app — an empowerment tool for those who feel their civil rights are being violated by law enforcement officers.

On Nov. 5, the City of Ferguson was ordered to stop enforcing a policy that was used to prevent protesters from standing still on public sidewalks. The injunction is similar to one entered early last month, which affected St. Louis County Police Department and the Missouri Highway Patrol. The City agreed to entry of today’s order.

On Nov. 4, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a warning letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to alert them that an air ban singling out news aircraft is an unacceptable and unlawful abridgement of the rights of the free press. This letter was prompted by recent revelations by the Associated Press that the FAA approved a Temporary Flight Restriction over Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 12 to prevent media coverage of an unfolding news story.

When a St. Louis City Board of Election judge confiscated Jennifer Florida’s sample ballots at a polling location on Nov. 4, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri immediately went to federal court to obtain a temporary restraining order, which was granted by Judge Rodney Sippel. The ACLU of Missouri had filed a civil rights action Friday on behalf of Jennifer Florida, candidate for St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds, to prevent such shenanigans.

ST. LOUIS – When the Supreme Court struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act last year, the federal government recognized marriages of same-sex couples for most purposes. However, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs were unable to provide certain benefits to married same-sex couples residing in Missouri because of Missouri’s refusal to recognize their marriages. The benefits included social security benefits for surviving spouses and VA home loans for married couples.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri released its report “Caught in the Web of Mass Surveillance” today. It is the product of an extensive investigation into the existing web of surveillance cameras in St. Louis, where a number of entities maintain a hodgepodge of surveillance cameras governed by a variety of internal policies or, in many cases, no policies at all.