ACLU v. Chicago

This case, known for decades as the “Spy Suit,” challenged the activities of the Chicago Police Department’s infamous Red Squad, which regularly infiltrated and spied on for engaging in First Amendment activities. The case initially was filed in 1975 and settled in 1982. After more than two decades of monitoring and enforcing the consent decree in the case, a federal district court granted a joint motion from the ACLU of Illinois and the City of Chicago to dissolve the decree in June 2009. We continue to pursue an enforcement petition charging violations of the decree due to the City’s public disclosure of an investigation of the American Friends Service Committee for their role in leading protests to a gathering of the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue in Chicago. The matter is pending.