...they never, never vary. They have principles. They defend Nazis marching in Skokie. I admire you.
Bills We Oppose: Forced DNA Collection Upon Arrest
February 24, 2011 2:46 am | Posted by kbennett
HB 1739 mandates saliva or tissue collection of all persons arrested for a felony or a Class A misdemeanor. House Sponsor: Rep. Reboletti HB 2195 mandates saliva or tissue collection... Continue reading
Bills We Support: HB 1948 – Surveillance Camera Data Collection
February 23, 2011 11:47 pm | By Khadine Bennett, Legislative Counsel
HB 1948 – Surveillance Camera Data Collection House Sponsors: Reps. Jakobsson – Rose - Currie – Davis, M – Kay ACLU Initiative HB 1948 would require police agencies that own... Continue reading
Bills We Oppose: HB 1371 – School Choice Act
February 23, 2011 9:53 pm | By Khadine Bennett, Legislative Counsel
HB 1371 – School Choice Act House Sponsor: Representative Ford HB 1371 would allow public schools to pay taxpayer funds to private religious schools, by means of tuition vouchers to... Continue reading
Some Welcome News For Women’s Rights
February 22, 2011 8:42 pm | Posted by Maura Ross
In a week filled with devastating attacks on women’s rights and access to reproductive health services for men, women, and teens, at least one good thing happened. On Friday, the... Continue reading
ACLU’s Ben Wolf to be honored as “citizen of the year”
February 22, 2011 7:56 pm | Posted by Allie Carter
Ben Wolf, Associate Legal Director and Director of the Institutionalized Persons Project and Children’s Initiative will named “Public Citizen of the Year” by the National Association of Social Worker’s Chicago... Continue reading
Petition calls for halt to Chicago’s surveillance camera system
February 18, 2011 10:00 am | Posted by Allie Carter
A petition signed by 500 supporters of the ACLU’s call for a moratorium on the placement of new surveillance cameras was mailed to Chicago mayoral candidates this afternoon. The petition... Continue reading
ACLU of Illinois tells appellate court that juvenile detention center still needs change
February 17, 2011 9:56 pm | By Ed Yohnka, Director of Communications & Public Policy
This morning, the ACLU of Illinois participated in an argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in our case seeking to improve... Continue reading
Juvenile Detention Center case goes to appellate court
February 16, 2011 9:08 pm | By Ed Yohnka, Director of Communications & Public Policy
For more than a decade, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois has worked tirelessly to improve conditions for the young people held at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC), one of the largest juvenile detention centers in the country. The JTDC long has been recognized as a dangerous, violent, filthy and overcrowded place. Court-appointed experts and monitors in this case found numerous examples of staff acting out violently against the youth detained at the facility; other experts found the facility to be unsanitary -- with rodents and pests present throughout the JTDC; and, the children were simply not cared for -- including having to wear dirty clothes and underwear for days on end.
Welcome Home, Civil Libertarians
February 15, 2011 8:51 pm | By Colleen Connell, Executive Director
We are thrilled to welcome you to the new online home of the ACLU of Illinois. Our new website will dramatically increase your access to our issues and give us new opportunities to communicate with you and mobilize support for civil liberties across the State. We hope you enjoy our new look!
Standing up for the First Amendment in Chicago
January 27, 2011 6:31 pm | Posted by Allie Carter
Protests and demonstrations often are aimed at an audience that would strongly prefer not to hear the message. For example, the First Amendment protects the right of labor unions to... Continue reading