News & Commentary

A story about a new law allowing Christian celebrations in public schools and buildings ran in the:

Recent news shows exactly why public access to government records is vital to keeping government accountable. Just 46 days after the ACLU filed a Sunshine Law request with the Missouri Department of Corrections, Gov. Jay Nixon postponed an upcoming execution and demanded a new protocol for lethal injection.Missouri had plans to be the first state to use propofol, a common anesthetic

Our Sunshine Law lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections regarding propofol was covered by:

Four days after the ACLU of Missouri filed a Sunshine Law request lawsuit, the Missouri Department of Corrections released the first four PDF files of documents regarding propofol, the drug the state plans to use in executions on Oct. 23 and Nov. 20. The Department of Corrections will continue to search for responsive records and provide them by the end of the week (Oct. 11).

Our Sunshine Law lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections regarding propofol was covered by:

JEFFERSON CITY, MO — On Oct. 4, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri Foundation (ACLU-MO) filed a lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) for failing to comply with a Sunshine Law request for records about Missouri’s supply of the drug propofol. This is the drug that the state plans to use in executions slated for Oct. 23 and Nov. 20.

HILLSBORO, MO — A Missouri homeowners’ association prohibition on political yard signs violates the Missouri Constitution’s free-speech guarantee, a judge ruled on Oct. 3. In a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri Foundation, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Gary P. Kramer ruled that enforcement of the restriction violates the state constitution and that the Missouri statute that permits the association to enforce its covenant in court is unconstitutional.

ST. LOUIS, MO — The city of Desloge cannot enforce its ban on the distribution of handbills. Members of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan—or anyone else, are free to pass out handbills in the City of Desloge. Today, United States Magistrate Judge Nannette A. Baker entered a preliminary injunction that the City of Desloge must not enforce the city ordinance that prohibits the distribution of leaflets on city streets.

Effective October 1, 2013, the ACLU of Eastern Missouri became the ACLU of Missouri, and the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri became the ACLU of Kansas. In the face of growing challenges to civil liberties in Kansas and Missouri, this development will increase the ACLU's effectiveness and impact.