News & Commentary

In advance of today’s campaign rally featuring Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump at the UIC Pavilion, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today sent a letter this morning to UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis urging the school to minimize the likelihood of civil liberties violations at today’s rally.

In a matter defined by the intersection of free speech and modern technology, the ACLU and the City of Peoria agreed yesterday to settle in a lawsuit dubbed “Twittergate” by media in Peoria.

It’s a victory for free speech. Internet users, whether they’re on laptops, tablets, or phones are the winners.

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ACLU of Illinois senior staff counsel Adam Schwartz was interviewed on the WBEZ program "Morning Shift" about the measure passed in the Illinois General Assembly last week. The bill aims to replace the Illinois Eavesdropping Act, which was ruled unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court last Spring. The new measure will allow for the audio recording of public officials doing their public duty in a public place, but will require a warrant or all-party consent for any conversation deemed to have a reasonable expectation of privacy. The ACLU of Illinois opposed the measure because it allows too many exceptions to law enforcement for instances where they would be allowed to record private conversations without obtaining a warrant. You can listen to the segment below:

Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka discussed the ACLU's concerns with the use of "stingray" technology by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in a recent segment on WBEZ. Stingrays operate by mimicking a cellphone tower, and have the ability to access their owner's locations and other identifying information. Given the potential threat to privacy that the use of such technology by law enforcement has had in other states, the ACLU of Illinois will continue monitor the issue. Ed Yohnka stated:

This past week, both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly passed a measure that closes loopholes in Illinois' eavesdropping law, the Associated Press reports. The ACLU of Illinois has a history of fighting for the First Amendment right to make an audio recording of public officials performing a public duty in a public place -- in ACLU v. Alvarez-- which had been illegal under what had been the strictest eavesdropping law in the country. In 2012, an appellate court ruled to allow the recording of public officials for ACLU purposes. Then in January, the eavesdropping law went to trial before the Illinois Supreme Court, which ruled the whole of the law to be unconstitutional. The bill clarifies any remaining ambiguity in the current eavesdropping law by restoring two-party consent, but also exempts police from having to obtain a warrant prior to eavesdropping for certain types of crimes:

ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen K. Connell appeared on WTTW's Chicago Tonight to discuss the issue of "net neutrality." In short, the discussion about net neutrality is a question about whether the Internet is going to remain a free and open place, a level playing field that operates without discrimination and bias. You can watch the entire segment below, and then share it on social media and continue the conversation:

Last Friday, ACLU of Illinois Executive Director participated on a panel reviewing the implications of civil liberties for the recently-completed term of the Supreme Court of the United States. (Spoiler alert: not a lot of good news!)