ACLU of Illinois Seeks to Continue Case Against AT&T


We are able to report two new developments concerning the ACLU of Illinois' efforts to hold telephone giant AT&T accountable for sharing information about their customers with the government without appropriate authorization. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly granted a motion by the United States Department of Justice to dismiss a lawsuit because of the need to protect "state secrets" - even though information about the program in question already was reported in detailed by numerous media outlets and discussed by members of Congress. You can read the ACLU of Illinois' response to the decision at http://www.aclu-il.org/news/press/2006/07/aclu_of_illinois_responds_to_d.shtml. In the Court's decision, the Judge did leave open the possibility that the case might move forward if amended. Late yesterday, the ACLU of Illinois filed an amended complaint, seeking to challenge not only AT&T sharing of customer records (who called whom and when) but also the program for monitoring telephone conversations in the United States without a warrant. A judge in San Francisco recently rejected a Justice Department request to dismiss a case similar to this on states secrets grounds. We will keep you apprised of future developments.



ACLU of Illinois Applauds Changes at Juvenile Detention Center


The ACLU of Illinois welcomed news today that the new Cook County Board President sought and received the resignation of the Superintendent of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. The ACLU's efforts to improve conditions for juveniles held at the JTDC date back to a lawsuit first filed in 1999 with the cooperation of attorneys at the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis. Earlier this year, a federal court judge approved the appointment of an independent group of experts in juvenile detention and an independent Compliance Administrator charged with developing and implementing a specific, measurable plan to correct long-standing problems at the JTDC. In recent days, media outlets continue to focus on the need to make certain this plan moves forward as leadership in Cook County is in transition. You can read about the latest developments at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0608010455aug01,1,5066683.story?coll=chi-news-hed.



Extension of the Voting Rights Act Enacted into Law


In a great development out of Washington, the Senate quickly passed the extension of the Voting Rights Act approved by the House of Representatives, and the measure was signed into law last week. The measure extends critical provisions of the Voting Rights Act for an additional 25 years. We are pleased that every Illinois legislator voting on the measure supported this important measure. You can read more about the ACLU's response to the VRA renewal at http://www.aclu.org/votingrights/gen/26259prs20060727.html.



Stop by the ACLU Booth at Northalsted MarketDays


ACLU will host a booth at Chicago's Northalsted MarketDays on August 5 and 6, between 11 am and 6 pm. Northalsted MarketDays is a neighborhood street festival with vendors, food and music. It's located on Halsted between Belmont and Addison. Stop by to pick up ACLU literature, buy a t-shirt or chat with other ACLU members!