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Home » E-newsletter » Archives » September 30, 2004
September 30, 2004 ACLU of Illinois E-News 09.30.04 Federal Judge Strikes Down Provision of Patriot Act Noting that "democracy abhors undue secrecy" a federal court judge yesterday declared a section of the USA PATRIOT Act unconstitutional. In a 120-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Victor Marrero struck down the Patriot Act provision that gives the government unchecked authority to issue "National Security Letters" that allowed federal law enforcement officials to obtain sensitive customer records from Internet Service Providers and other businesses without a court order or judicial oversight. The court found that a provision of the Section that prohibited businesses and others from revealing that these records have been sought was an unconstitutional prior restraint against free speech. To read more about the decision click on http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=16603&c=282. 2004 Bill of Rights Celebration Features Keynote Address by Morris Dees The 2004 ACLU of Illinois Bill of Rights Celebration will be an exciting event for all who attend -- with a number of distinguished awardees, tremendous live and silent auction items for the highest bidder, and a keynote speech by Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The event, the major annual fundraiser for the Roger Baldwin Foundation (the advocacy arm of the ACLU of Illinois) will be held at Chicago's Hyatt Regency Hotel on Saturday evening, October 2nd. To learn more about the cost and logistics of the event, click http://www.aclu-il.org/news/press/000210.shtml. ACLU Case Goes to Trial in Chicago In a federal court in Chicago, a judge has been hearing testimony for the past week in an ACLU case challenging the conditions of treatment and confinement of individuals civilly-committed after serving their criminal sentences as sexually-violent persons at a facility in Joliet. The ACLU is arguing that the conditions at the facility are more akin to a prison and do not provide meaningful treatment, violating professional standards. We will keep you posted on developments in the matter. Marriage Equality Town Hall Meeting Scheduled for Normal -- Thursday, October 7th The next in a series of town hall meetings on marriage equality is scheduled for next Thursday, October 7th in Normal. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Normal Public Library, 206 West College Street, the forum will feature same-sex couples from the Bloomington-Normal area and other local experts talking about the real harm done to same-sex families by current marriage laws. Titled "Leave No Family Behind," the event will discuss the daily hardships faced by these families and other topics related to recognizing same-sex couples. We hope to see you there! |
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