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Defending Everyone

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Defending Everyone defending everyone aclu of washington annual report 2008 Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridg- ing the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the2008 people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary toannual the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribedreport by law. ACLU-WA ACLU-WA Foundation Dear friends, he final months of the Bush same-sex couples. Domestic partnership information about the rights of students administration feel like the end of legislation is still short of full equality, but and their families in schools and in truancy T a long, unwelcome journey. We represents significant progress nonetheless. proceedings. Our focus has been on the have seen so many revelations of secret Indeed, many initiatives on cutting- unequal impact of policies on students surveillance programs, abuses of executive edge issues are taking place at state and of color, especially on Latinos and Native power and betrayals of our basic values as local levels. In 2006 the ACLU-WA launched Americans in central Washington. a nation. The damage to our constitutional a Technology and Liberty Project to ensure In this election year, the ACLU-WA system will not easily be repaired. that government and businesses respect has continued its local campaign to Despite the judiciary’s rightward tilt, civil liberties in decisions about technology. shine a spotlight on the unfairness of the courts have provided some welcome The project’s efforts to safeguard privacy disenfranchising people with felony victories for civil liberties. The U.S. Supreme already are bringing results. This year the convictions simply because they owe Court recently delivered a stinging rebuke Washington Legislature unanimously passed money. Our Voting Rights Restoration to the administration for its handling of a groundbreaking ACLU-backed measure project has passed the hundred mark in detainees at Guantanamo. This spring that protects the personal information of the number of people we have helped to a federal appeals court reinstated our individuals who hold the new Enhanced regain the franchise. We will continue to lawsuit challenging the dismissal of a Driver’s License. And transportation seek reform in the next legislature. much-decorated Air Force major, and said officials responded to ACLU-WA advocacy The recent bipartisan action by the military must have real evidence that by agreeing to modify their plans so as to Congress to pass an anti-liberty FISA law her sexual orientation caused problems prevent the tracking of riders who will use reminds us that much work will remain to with morale (actually, it was the dismissal the upcoming ORCA regional transit card. restore the Constitution regardless of the that hurt morale). And in another ACLU- In another new project, the ACLU-WA election’s outcome. We look forward to the WA case, the Washington Supreme Court has collaborated with travel writer Rick dedicated support of the ACLU’s freedom- resoundingly rejected a school district’s Steves to educate people about the harsh loving members as we approach that task. program of testing students’ urine without effects of marijuana laws. Thousands suspicion that individuals had done of people have viewed our award- anything wrong. winning video, and tens of thousands To the south, the influential California have checked out the project’s website Supreme Court issued a ruling that would marijuanaconversation.org. Jesse Wing have been unthinkable just a few years ago, We also are engaged in efforts to Board President recognizing the right of same-sex couples combat a phenomenon known as the to marry. While Washington’s high court in “school-to-prison pipeline,” the result 2006 narrowly rejected a challenge by the of policies that channel young people ACLU-WA and others to our state’s marriage from the educational system to the ban, the past two legislatures stepped up criminal justice system. The ACLU-WA has Kathleen Taylor to pass numerous legal protections for conducted workshops and distributed Executive Director introduction 1 Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.NATIO Amendment III No SoldierN shall,AL in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. ” — BENJAMIN FranKLIN Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievanc- es. Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the securitySECURITY of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peaceEnding Torture, be quartered inevidence any obtained house, through torture. without the consent of the Owner, Closing Guantánamo In June, the U.S. Supreme Court (in Boumediene v. Bush) issued its third major nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. The ACLU has worked tirelessly to decision that the U.S. Constitution applies shed light on injustices and restore the to the government’s detention policies constitutional principles that have been at Guantánamo. The court ruled that eroded over the last seven years in the war prisoners there have the right to challenge on terror. This year, thanks in part to their detention through habeas corpus Soldiers perform a security check on Anthony D. Romero, the ACLU Freedom of Information proceedings. Dating from the Magna Carta, executive director of the ACLU, as he arrives to observe military Act requests, came the habeas corpus protects against being commission hearings at Guantanamo Bay. first public disclosure thrown in prison illegally, with no help, no of official White House end in sight and no due process. memos justifying the Tackling the practice known as FISA: Congress Caves In use of torture, and “extraordinary rendition,” the ACLU in exempting the U.S. August 2007 sued Boeing subsidiary Uncovered in 2005, the National from its obligations under Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc., for helping to Security Agency’s secret spying program the Geneva Conventions. fly individuals to secret facilities in other circumvented the Foreign Intelligence The ACLU has joined forces with countries so they could be questioned, Surveillance Court – which provides the National Association of Criminal tortured and held outside of the reach the legal framework for conducting Defense Lawyers to offer assistance to the of U.S. law and the Constitution. We surveillance – by allowing the government government lawyers appointed to defend are appealing a lower court ruling that to intercept international e-mails and Guantánamo detainees. The John Adams dismissed the suit on grounds that the phone calls without court approval. Project aims to ensure that individuals program was protected by the “state An ACLU lawsuit challenging the have the best secrets” privilege. The program succeeded in federal district chance of a fair ACLU has opposed court in Michigan, only to be dismissed in trial, given the repeated claims of January 2008 on grounds that plaintiffs unjust system set “state secrets” by the could not prove they had been subjected up by the Military Bush administration to surveillance – a virtually impossible Commissions Act. to shield itself hurdle because the program is secret. The act denies from lawsuits and In Washington state, the Utilities and detainees basic investigations about Transportation Commission held hearings constitutional warrantless spying, on the ACLU-WA’s request to investigate rights, even extraordinary rendition whether phone companies in the state had allowing the use and torture. (CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE) of hearsay and national security 3 Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridg- ing the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of NATIONAL SECURitY (CONTINUED) grievances. Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peace beon a federalquartered terrorist watchlist. The orderin anypatrol house, checkpoints have without spread to Olympic the consent of violated the law by turning over customer came in an ACLU lawsuit, which included Peninsula highways. records to the NSA, but Congress’ decision plaintiff Shimrote Ishaque, an Edmonds The ACLU-WA has been working with the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.to give immunity to the phone companies pharmacist and an observant Muslim. In concerned residents and immigrant rights foreclosed the possiblity of an investigation.
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