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Home » E-newsletter » Archives » November 15, 2004
November 15, 2004 ACLU of Illinois E-News 11.15.04 Pentagon Agrees to End Direct Sponsorship of Boy Scout Troops in ACLU Case In a settlement announced today, the Department of Defense has agreed to cease sponsorship of hundreds of Boy Scout units on military facilities across the United States and oversees. The settlement was filed in federal court in Chicago by the government and the ACLU of Illinois. Prior to the settlement, the DOD held the charters to lead hundreds of Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troops as part of their official duties. Because the BSA excludes youths who do not believe in God, and because Scout leaders have to administer a religious oath, the ACLU believed this activity was unconstitutional. You can read more about the settlement on our homepage at www.aclu-il.org. Supreme Court Hears Argument in Illinois Case Critical To Checking Law Enforcement Authority The Supreme Court of the United States heard argument last week in a case that will determine whether police must have individualized suspicion before using drug-sniffing dogs during routine traffic stops. The case grew out of a stop by Illinois State Police along I-80 of a Las Vegas resident. A canine unit who had not been summoned simply showed up at a routine traffic stop and walked a drug sniffing-dog around the motorist's car. Marijuana was found and the man sentenced to 12 years in prison. The ACLU of Illinois with the National ACLU filed an amicus curiae brief in the case. You can read more about the case and the ACLU's argument that police must have individualized suspicion to in order to escalate a routine traffic search to include drug-sniffing dogs, go to our homepage at www.aclu-il.org. ACLU Calls for Full Hearings on Gonzales Nomination In response to word that Attorney General John Ashcroft will leave that spot and be replaced by White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, the ACLU has called on the United States Senate to hold full and complete hearings on the nomination. The ACLU, through Executive Director Anthony Romero, made clear in a statement that there are a number of questions that should be posed to the prospective new leader of the Department of Justice. Mr. Gonzales authored a memo, for example, that justified treatment of prisoners held by the United States that was not allowed under the Geneva Convention. In addition, as the ACLU points out, the Mr. Gonzales should be asked about his views of the pending renewal of the Patriot Act and other important issues. You can read the entire statement at http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=17000&c=206. Thinking about Early Holiday Shopping? How About an ACLU Membership? Know someone depressed about the election results? How about the "gift of liberty?" The ACLU of Illinois is offering a special gift membership that may be perfect of those "hard to buy for" persons on your holiday list. To learn more, go to http://www.aclu-il.org/membership/gift.shtml. Special Program Celebrating Civil Rights Set for Chicago Famed Chicago Historian Dr. Timuel Black is set to headline a special panel examining personal histories and remembrances from those involved in the civil rights movement in our nation. The program also features Judge Edward Washington, Linda Crane from John Marshall Law School, former Cook County Public Defender Rita Fry, and local weatherman Jim Tilmon. The program is scheduled for 12:15 -1:30 p.m. on Friday, November 19th at the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago. (Please note: in our last e-newsletter, we misidentified the location -- this is correct.) For more information, please call 312/744-6630. |
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