News & Commentary

POPLAR BLUFF, MISSOURI, May 27, 2008 -The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri has filed suit against the City of Poplar Bluff after the City’s public library disciplined a part-time employee who objected to participating in the promotion of a Harry Potter book.The employee, Deborah Smith, had religious objections to the promotion, which she believed encouraged children to worship the occult.

ST. LOUIS, April 6, 2008 -Valley Park Mayor Jeffrey Whittaker widely circulated campaign materials claiming that the ACLU backed his opponent for the upcoming April 8th election. Contrary to Whittaker’s claims, the ACLU is not involved in the electoral politics of the City of Valley Park or any other city in Missouri or anywhere in the United States. The ACLU is a non-partisan, public interest organization devoted exclusively to protecting the basic civil liberties of all Americans. Whittaker’s claim that we recruited or are involved in any way with his opponent is blatantly false.

ACLU Celebrates Triumph Of Equal Opportunity

ST. LOUIS, March 18, 2008 -The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri has filed suit against the City of St. George and the police officer whose threats to fabricate charges against a young motorist were captured on videotape.

ST. LOUIS, February 26, 2008-The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of a solider currently serving in Iraq. Army Specialist Anthony Collins of Charlie Company’s 327th Infantry Regiment returned to St. Louis on leave from war-torn Iraq, he encountered the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, whose officers pepper-sprayed him, forced him to the ground, handcuffed him and arrested him near a routine police checkpoint on June 30, 2006.

COURT UPHOLDS SLAPP SUIT DISMISSAL

Roe v. Crawford Decision

ST. LOUIS, January 8, 2008 - The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri applauded the decision of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri that found the practice of Bible distribution in the public school of a rural Missouri county was unconstitutional. The ACLU of Eastern Missouri filed suit against the South Iron School District in February 2006. The court had earlier entered a temporary injunction against Bible distribution, which was upheld by the Eight Circuit appellate court in August 2007.

NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a landmark lawsuit today to stop the government from conducting surveillance under a new wiretapping law that gives the Bush administration virtually unchecked power to intercept Americans' international e-mails and telephone calls. The case was filed on behalf of a broad coalition of attorneys and human rights, labor, legal and media organizations whose ability to perform their work - which relies on confidential communications - will be greatly compromised by the new law.