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Home » E-newsletter » Archives » September 15, 2005
September 15, 2005 ACLU of Illinois E-News 9.15.05 Big Coverage of ACLU Case The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has spiraled into a wasteful, disorganized, abusive cesspool. This conclusion is the lead sentence in one of a series of powerful Chicago Tribune editorials describing conditions at the Cook County JTDC. As noted throughout the series, the JTDC has been the subject of an ACLU of Illinois lawsuit since 1999, a lawsuit challenging the conditions at the facility housing young people before trial or detained on delinquency charges. The allegations of ongoing abuse and neglect are horrifying: physical abuse by JTDC personnel on teens and discipline that often includes long periods of seclusion for youngsters. Despite the fact that Cook County officials reached an agreement with the ACLU of Illinois more than two years ago to improve conditions at the JTDC, they have taken only a few, halting steps to correct problems at the facility. Thanks to the attention of the Tribune editorial page, other media outlets and juvenile justice advocacy groups are paying more attention to the conditions at the JTDC. You can read the entire editorial series at www.chicagotribune.com/juvenile. Patriot Act Fight Goes On Last time, we provided an update on the battle in Congress over the Administration's efforts to renew provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act set to expire at the end of this calendar year. We now know that the Conference committee to reconcile the Senate and House versions of a renewal bill will meet sometime next week (after the nomination of John Roberts is moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee). There has been other news on the Patriot Act front of late - last week, a federal judge ruled that the FBI must lift a gag order in a case involving an unnamed Connecticut organization that possesses library records. The decision comes in a case where the ACLU is challenging a provision of the Patriot Act that authorizes the FBI to seize materials without judicial oversight. You can read more about this case at http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=19064&c=262. ACLU Speaks up on the Roberts Nomination As the Senate Judiciary Committee considers the nomination of John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States, we thought it worthwhile to remind you that the American Civil Liberties Union has weighed in on the nomination process. In late August, our national office sent a letter to the ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee expressing "deep concern" over his record. The ACLU issued a 45-page report on the nominee's record, examining his civil rights and civil liberties record. You can read the ACLU's statement and report at http://www.aclu.org/court/court.cfm?ID=18990&c=316. Prominent Human Rights Speaker to Visit Chicago We have learned that Mary Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland and former U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights, will deliver a keynote address at the International Woman Associates' Rising Voices of Woman Memorial Forum in Chicago on Tuesday, September 27th. For more information about the event, call 312/263-1421 or email at iwa@iwachicago.org. Stay Tuned: October Showing of ACLU Freedom Files We will be showing the second episode of ACLU Freedom Files: The Supreme Court in early October. Keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation. This episode tells the story of a teenage girl from Oklahoma and her family, who stood up for something they believed in only to find themselves in the highest court in the country. Lindsay Earls was a sophomore at Tecumseh High School, member of the debate team and performed with the choir, when a mandatory drug-testing policy was instituted for anyone participating in extracurricular activities. But ultimately, we learn the importance of one vote and why the makeup of the Supreme Court is as vital to our civil liberties as the Constitution itself. |
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