|
Home » E-newsletter » Archives » January 15, 2004
January 15, 2004 ACLU of Illinois E-News 01.15.04 Happy New Year! The ACLU of Ilinois E-News is back After a brief holiday respite, the ACLU of Illinois E-News is back. This edition of the E-news marks the beginning of our second year of bi-monthly on-line publication. We welcome your comments and suggestions for future editions. You can reach us by sending an email to ACLUofIllinois@aclu-il.org. Also, please share this newsletter with your friends, family members and colleagues. They can join our growing list of subscribers by emailing us as well. ACLU Files Amicus Brief in Case on Rights on Guantanamo Detainees Joining a broad-based coalition of groups concerned about the lengthy and secretive detention of persons at the U.S. military base at Guantanomo Bay (Cuba), the National ACLU yesterday filed an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court seeking the right of detainees at that facility access to federal courts in order to challenge the legality of their detention. The brief was filed in support of lawsuits brought by two groups of families of Guantanomo detainees, cases that now have reached the U.S. Supreme Court. You can reach more about the ACLU's action by going here. You can open a copy of the ACLU brief in the case here. Fight Against Racial Profiling Gets Boost in Illinois With the start of calendar year 2004, the State of Illinois saw the beginning of an important tool for combating the insidious practice of racial profiling. Thanks to legislation adopted last year by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Governor Blagojevich, police in Illinois now must record the race of every motorist whom they stop for a traffic infraction. The data will provide important insight for law enforcement supervisory personnel in determining how officers enforce our traffic laws "on the streets." Despite some complaints from law enforcement officials in media reports about the policy, it is working in states across the nation (and in many communities here in Illinois) as a mechanism for measuring how police operate. Upcoming Events on Critical Issues We wanted to remind you about a number of upcoming events sponsored (or co-sponsored) by the ACLU of Illinois that touch on on critical civil liberties' issues. You may wish to attend one or all three of these events. On January 26th, the ACLU of Illinois is co-sponsoring a discussion on Marriage Equality. The event features Evan Wolfson, of Freedom to Marry, and Patricia Logue, of LAMBDA Legal Aid. The program will be begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Conference Center of the law firm Jenner and Block in downtown Chicago. You can rsvp and get more information by email at events@acslaw.org. On January 27th, the ACLU of Illinois is hosting a coffee and discussion regarding the implications of the proposed merge of West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park with a Catholic health service. the coffee is being hosted by ACLU of Illinois Board member Gary Gerson. You can get more information and rsvp for the discussion by email at ysotelo@aclu-il.org. On Sunday, April 25th, the ACLU of Illinois is sponsoring a breakfast in Washington, DC in conjunction with the March for Women's Lives. The breakfast, scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m., will feature Representative Jan Schakowsky (and possibly other members of the Illinois congressional delegation). You can learn more about the breakfast and rsvp by sending an email to ACLUofIllinois@aclu-il.org. ACLU "Rushes" to Court in Florida As you may have seen in news reports this week, the ACLU of Florida has filed an amicus brief in state court this week supporting the argument of radio personality Rush Limbaugh in his challenge to the seizure of his medical records, records sought in connection with an investigation to his purchase of prescription pain killers. Commentators and columnists across the country have had a field day with the notion that the ACLU would come to Mr. Limbaugh's defense -- given his regular criticism of our activities. One of our favorite takes on this issue was offered by Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn in his online weblog. You can read Mr. Zorn's column here. |
|
