American Civil Liberties Union

AZ ACLU Director Alessandra Soler Meetze Withdraws from 9/11 Conference

Arizona ACLU blasts racial profiling in new report "Driving While Black or Brown."

Federal judge thwarts Wilenchik's delay attempts in massive jail-deaths suit against Arpaio

Eruv Awakening

An imaginary line around north central Phoenix would grant Orthodox Jews more freedom on the Sabbath

Federal Judge Rules Against Joe Arpaio in Landmark Class-Action Jail Lawsuit

An imaginary line around north central Phoenix would grant Orthodox Jews more freedom on the Sabbath

Dan Pochoda of ACLU Follows Through on Threat to Sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio Over Arrest

An imaginary line around north central Phoenix would grant Orthodox Jews more freedom on the Sabbath

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, November 24, 2005

An imaginary line around north central Phoenix would grant Orthodox Jews more freedom on the Sabbath

Collar-Crazy

The cracked cockatoo defends the ACLU’s Dan Pochoda, wings by Pruitt’s for the day-laborer donnybrook, and searches for a tranny’s package

New Times founders honored for support of civil liberties

The cracked cockatoo defends the ACLU’s Dan Pochoda, wings by Pruitt’s for the day-laborer donnybrook, and searches for a tranny’s package

Arizona Felons Should Be Able to Vote More, Say ACLU

Okay, it's not the problems of the world are going to get solved if more convicted felons get out and vote. There are other reasons why Arizona should consider changing the way it disenfranchises ex-cons from the electoral process, according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union&nbs ... More >>

ACLU: No Record of Arpaio Saying Physical Appearance is Basis for Police Questioning

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio keeps a filthy, dangerous jail and brags about targeting illegal immigrants.But a statement in a recent federal court ruling that claims Arpaio said publicly that a person's immigration status should be questioned on "physical appearance alone" is apparently not tr ... More >>

ACLU Demands Peoria School District Allow Kid to Wear "Rainbows are Gay" Wristband

The American Civil Liberties Board of Arizona is threatening action against the Peoria Unified School District after an eighth-grade student was prohibited from wearing a "Rainbows are Gay" wristband. The 14-year-old gay student was told to wear the wristband inside out or quit w ... More >>

Muslim Worker Not Discriminated Against, Says Sheriff's Office; OSHA Says Facial Hair and Masks Don't Mix

Image: Wikimedia Commons The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office denies that a Muslim detention officer was discriminated against because of his beard, citing Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules that require a clean shave with face masks. The office's response runs counter to what ... More >>

Gomer, You're Fired!

Our feathered fiend bombs Trump-haters, racist soccer moms, Uncle Joe and the ACLU. Who's gonna be next?

Give Her Liberty

Eleanor Eisenberg dances off into the sunset

Grooms on the Cupcake

With Terry Goddard and Janet Napolitano around, you'd think gay marriage would have a chance in Arizona. Think again.

Dead Men Talking

The ACLU is fighting a state law that keeps death row inmates off the Web

ACLU Says School District Agreed to Permit Student to Wear Gay-Pride Accessory; District Says Wristband Ban Never Existed

The Peoria Unified School District has agreed "it will no longer prevent" a 14-year-old student from wearing a gay-pride wristband, the ACLU says today. The district, however, says it never agreed to any such thing -- because the student was never disallowed from wearing the accessory ... More >>

May 21 In Blogs: ACLU, Scramble, Phoenix Coyotes, and More

In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Feathered Bastard:ACLU Slams Joe Arpaio Over Jail Lockdown, and Channel 3's Marissa Wingate Digs Joe's Slop Up ... More >>

Underwear the Safest Place for Students to Hide Contraband, Says Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to declare a strip-search of an Arizona student unconstitutional also "announces the safest place to secrete contraband at school," says Justice Clarence Thomas. Just stick those drugs in your skivvies. Don't you love when a government official makes things clear f ... More >>

ACLU to Host Forum on "Constitution-Free" Zone Near Border That Allows Checkpoints

Border Patrol checkpoints and their impact on civil rights will be discussed at a forum next week in Green Valley hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union. The topic is a hot one in the southern Arizona community, where some residents have fought plans to install a permanent checkpoint on Inte ... More >>

Janet Napolitano Pulls a Switcheroo on the Pro-Immigrant Crowd, Arpaio Scores a Latina Judge's Recusal, plus Swastikas in Fountain Hills

Border Patrol checkpoints and their impact on civil rights will be discussed at a forum next week in Green Valley hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union. The topic is a hot one in the southern Arizona community, where some residents have fought plans to install a permanent checkpoint on Inte ... More >>

Joe Arpaio vs. ACLU: New Lawsuit Tomorrow Over Worksite Raid

Is the ACLU's new lawsuit on behalf of Avondale resident Julio Mora? We'll find out tomorrow.​ The Arizona ACLU isn't giving out any details, but they've just issued a press advisory that at noon tomorrow they will announce a lawsuit, "on behalf of two Avondale residents who were illegally a ... More >>

August 19 In Blogs: Joe Arpaio, Daughtry, Sliders, and ASU

​​In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Feathered Bastard: ACLU and Julio and Julian Mora Sue Joe Arpaio, Arpaio Whines on Twitter Up on the Sun: Cr ... More >>

Joe Arpaio a "Torturer on U.S. Soil," Says NPR Opinion Piece

Torturer with a badge? You don't have to convince us...​An opinion piece published yesterday on National Public Radio's Web site, written by Hector Sanchez, Director of Policy and Research for the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, calls Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio "a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Latest Whopper: MCSO Press Release Fakes "Win" -- Class Action Status To Be Decided Later

Note the resemblance? Skin like a corpse, bulbous nose, shurf's badge, plays the buffoon...​Why anyone buys any of the shameless bull that flows forth from the MCSO's PR team like a mighty river of bunk is beyond me. Take this latest, bogus claim from the sheriff of a legal victory in the b ... More >>

Freedom Film Festival: The Least of These

Note the resemblance? Skin like a corpse, bulbous nose, shurf's badge, plays the buffoon...​Why anyone buys any of the shameless bull that flows forth from the MCSO's PR team like a mighty river of bunk is beyond me. Take this latest, bogus claim from the sheriff of a legal victory in the b ... More >>

Terminate All Joe Arpaio's 287(g) Power, Demands ACLU

Do the lefties have Joe on the ropes, or is he playing rope-a-dope? Ramping up the pressure on ICE, the Obama administration and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the American Civil Liberties Union has just issued a press release demanding that Arpaio be stripped of all of his 287(g) authority, includi ... More >>

Most Immigrants Arrested in "Operation Return to Sender" Had No Criminal Record

​When U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement conducted an immigration sweep in northern Arizona in November, 2008, as a part of "Operation Return to Sender," they touted it as a program designed to target and deport dangerous criminals. As it turns out, most of the people arrested didn ... More >>

Tuned In: The MCSO Pointed Guns at Siblings, Both U.S. Citizens, After a Deputy’s Attention Was Drawn to Them by Spanish-Language Music Blaring from Their Car

​When U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement conducted an immigration sweep in northern Arizona in November, 2008, as a part of "Operation Return to Sender," they touted it as a program designed to target and deport dangerous criminals. As it turns out, most of the people arrested didn ... More >>

Sheriff's Office Gets More Time to Sort Through Recovered E-mails in Racial Profiling Case

Image: Arizona Court of AppealsU.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow​ A federal judge today allowed the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office more time to sort through recovered e-mails for confidential info that doesn't pertain to an ongoing racial-profiling lawsuit. The company that saved the recov ... More >>

Linda Ronstadt Returns, Joe Arpaio Hunts Hispanics, and ACLU Announces Plans to Sue Over SB 1070

EarlyOnsetofNightOne way of combating Sheriff Joe's anti-brown sweeps, and SB1070 to bootTomorrow will be a big day in Sand Land, with Latina pop icon Shakira meeting with Mayor Phil Gordon over their opposition to Arizona's new racial profiling law. Normally, that alone would make for a huge news d ... More >>

An Opportunity to Stand Up

EarlyOnsetofNightOne way of combating Sheriff Joe's anti-brown sweeps, and SB1070 to bootTomorrow will be a big day in Sand Land, with Latina pop icon Shakira meeting with Mayor Phil Gordon over their opposition to Arizona's new racial profiling law. Normally, that alone would make for a huge news d ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Reign of Terror Becomes State Policy, Thanks to State Senator Russell Pearce and Governor Jan Brewer

EarlyOnsetofNightOne way of combating Sheriff Joe's anti-brown sweeps, and SB1070 to bootTomorrow will be a big day in Sand Land, with Latina pop icon Shakira meeting with Mayor Phil Gordon over their opposition to Arizona's new racial profiling law. Normally, that alone would make for a huge news d ... More >>

An Opportunity to Stand Up

EarlyOnsetofNightOne way of combating Sheriff Joe's anti-brown sweeps, and SB1070 to bootTomorrow will be a big day in Sand Land, with Latina pop icon Shakira meeting with Mayor Phil Gordon over their opposition to Arizona's new racial profiling law. Normally, that alone would make for a huge news d ... More >>

May 14 In Blogs: ACLU, Ghost Lounge, Cielo Kitchen, and The Gringo Mask

​​​​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Feathered Bastard: ACLU's Anti-SB 1070 Lawsuit; Bud Selig Waffles; Sarah Palin Weighs In; Er ... More >>

ACLU, NAACP and Other Groups Seek Federal Injunction to Stop SB 1070

from ACLU.orgThe ACLU started the legal war against SB 1070 in earnest todayAs it had announced it would do last week, the ACLU along with several other groups filed suit in federal court today, seeking to have Arizona's "papers please" legislation enjoined before it's scheduled to take effect by th ... More >>

SB 1070 Field Day: Judge Susan Bolton May Enjoin Law in Part

Governor Brewer, outside federal court ThursdayIn a day filled with protests, arrests, legal arguments, an appearance by the governor, and at least one certified neo-Nazi, the most significant developments in the SB 1070 saga happened within the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, n ... More >>

Gadsden Flag Shouldn't be Banned by Laveen HOA, Says ACLU

A Laveen HOA wants to ban a homeowner from flying the Gadsden flag​ A Laveen homeowner's association is wrong to prohibit the historic Gadsden flag from flying in front of a home, an ACLU representative says. "We believe that (HOAs) don't have the power to hijack people's free speech rights," ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Signs Off on Ban Amnesty Now's Voter Suppression Efforts?

Kris Kobach? That's some "impartial" source you got there, SeanThe paranoia has been reaching a fever-pitch both in and over an e-mail recently sent out by the local nativist organization Ban Amnesty Now, which claims that "illegals" are looking to steal the upcoming midterm elections. The e-ma ... More >>

Westboro Baptist Church Unified Democrats and Republicans Over One Thing: Limiting Freedom of Speech

Kris Kobach? That's some "impartial" source you got there, SeanThe paranoia has been reaching a fever-pitch both in and over an e-mail recently sent out by the local nativist organization Ban Amnesty Now, which claims that "illegals" are looking to steal the upcoming midterm elections. The e-ma ... More >>

Victory for the ACLU Against Arpaio and Lieutenant Joe Sousa

Kris Kobach? That's some "impartial" source you got there, SeanThe paranoia has been reaching a fever-pitch both in and over an e-mail recently sent out by the local nativist organization Ban Amnesty Now, which claims that "illegals" are looking to steal the upcoming midterm elections. The e-ma ... More >>

ACLU to Defend Medical Marijuana Law Against Legal Attack by Governor Jan Brewer

Governor Jan Brewer followed through today on her threat to attack the voter-approved medical marijuana law.​ Governor Jan Brewer followed through today on her threat to attack Arizona's voter-approved medical marijuana law, but advocates of democracy are fighting back. Numerous defendan ... More >>

Immigrants Who Fight Deportation Are Packed Into Federal Gulags for Months or Years Before Their Cases Are Heard

Governor Jan Brewer followed through today on her threat to attack the voter-approved medical marijuana law.​ Governor Jan Brewer followed through today on her threat to attack Arizona's voter-approved medical marijuana law, but advocates of democracy are fighting back. Numerous defendan ... More >>

ACLU Report on Immigrant Detention Released; ICE Responds With Promise to Investigate "Significant Acts of Abuse" Alleged by ACLU

New Times Detention: not much different than incarceration. ​The Arizona ACLU released a report on conditions in Arizona immigrant-detention facilities today alleging serious abuses of detainees in the custody of private prisons and the Pinal County Jail.   It is titled, "In Their Own ... More >>

Protest Vigil Scheduled Against Inhumane Immigrant Detention at Pinal County Jail July 7

Vigil for Dignity not Detention.Immigration activists plan to protest the federal government's worst immigrant-detention facility in Arizona.​Immigrant-rights activists are planning to hold a protest vigil at the Pinal County Jail July 7 in hope of pushing the federal government to end its imm ... More >>

ACLU Asks Federal Judge to Dismiss Governor Brewer's Lawsuit Against Medical Marijuana Act

Governor Jan Brewer​ Governor Jan Brewer is using a supposed threat to state workers as a "pretext" for thwarting the will of voters, says the American Civil Liberties Union in a court action filed today.Lawyers for the ACLU's Arizona chapter and the Valley firm Gammage & Burnham, who repr ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Loses Again: Maricopa County Settles for $200K in Mora Racial-Profiling Case

Julio and Julian Mora, who today won big against Sheriff Joe As Sheriff Joe Arpaio plots to humiliate Arizona by deploying a chain gang of illegal immigrants to clean up around Chase Field, where the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is scheduled to take place July 12, there's ample evidence Arpai ... More >>

July 7 In Blogs: Trevor Lutz, Blood Orange, Los Dos Molinos, and the ACLU

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

September 30 In Blogs: ACLU, Mesa Typewriter Exchange, Blondie, Damon Brasch, and Busted School Bus Drivers

​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: