American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon
ACLU of Oregon
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ACLU of Oregon Headlines
**** The ACLU of Oregon is seeking internship applicants for Legal Request Intake Counselors and Campus Outreach interns. **** Oregon Supreme Court Finds State’s Harassment Statute UnconstitutionalDecision Upholds ACLU of Oregon’s ArgumentsAug. 14, 2008 -- The Oregon Supreme Court today echoed the arguments of the ACLU Foundation of Oregon in its decision to reverse a Court of Appeals decision involving the “abusive speech” provision of the state’s harassment law. The case was a difficult one -- involving racist and homophobic verbal harassment that tested the constitutional limits of the Oregon Legislature’s power to create a crime based on speech alone -- and the ACLU believes the Court decided correctly in labeling the state’s harassment statute unconstitutional. Read More
GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCEACLU Questions Federal Protective Service SurveillanceJuly 29, 2008 -- The ACLU of Oregon has sent lettters to U.S. Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio asking them to answers key quesions about the surveillance by a Federal Protective Service agent of private citizens engaged in consitutionally protected activities in Eugene. Read the Letters
ELECTION 2008Use Our Web Resources to Quiz Candidates on Civil LibertiesJuly 2008 -- The November 2008 election is around the corner, with dozens of important races at the state and federal level. While the ACLU is strictly non-partisan and never endorses candidates for elective office, we strongly encourage our members and supporters to become informed and discuss with candidates their positions on important civil liberties issues. Our website offers a variety of tools to help in that process. Read More
MEDIA SHIELD LAWACLU of Oregon Seeks to Quash Grand Jury SubpoenaJuly 15, 2008 -- The ACLU of Oregon filed a motion today in Lane County Circuit Court seeking to quash a subpoena that would force longtime Eugene activist and journalist Tim Lewis to turn over unpublished material to a grand jury. Our motion argues that the subpoena clearly violates the Oregon media shield law.
UPDATE: Lane County DA withdraws subpoena in response to ACLU motion. Read the DA's response to our motion to quash (PDF)
UNLAWFUL SPYINGSenate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill; ACLU Will SueJuly 10, 2008 -- In a blatant assault upon civil liberties and the right to privacy, the U.S. Senate passed an unconstitutional domestic spying bill that violates the Fourth Amendment and eliminates any meaningful role for judicial oversight of government surveillance.
FREE SPEECHJudge Rules Against TriMet in Free Speech CaseJune 3, 2008 -- Judge Henry C. Breithaupt ruled Monday that TriMet’s refusal of a "political" advertisement was unconstitutional, on both state and federal grounds. The ACLU of Oregon’s victory on behalf on the Karuk Tribe of California and the Friends of the River Foundation makes clear that TriMet cannot violate free speech protections as it picks and chooses what ads to accept or deny. Read More CENSORSHIPBooksellers, Publishers, Librarians and Others Challenge Censorship LawUnder New Law, Many Risk Charges for ‘Furnishing’ Legitimate Literature, Art and Sex Education Materials to MinorsApril 28, 2008 -- Should a grandmother have to risk being charged with a crime if she gives her 7-year-old grandson a copy of “It’s Perfectly Normal,” a sex education book widely regarded as among the best available? Under a new Oregon law (ORS 167.054), that grandmother could be charged with providing materials that are “sexually explicit” to a minor. And under that and a second new law (ORS 167.057), booksellers, librarians, community-based organizations, health-care providers, parents and other family members also are at risk, potentially facing jail time and hefty fines up to $125,000. The ACLU of Oregon is challenging the new laws as unconstitutional. Read More
PATRIOT ACTACLU of Oregon Urges Appeals Court to Reject Patriot Act Search-and-Surveillance ProvisionsMarch 17, 2008 -- The ACLU of Oregon filed a friend-of-the-court brief today urging a federal appeals court to affirm a lower court’s decision to strike down two search-and-surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. The case was brought by Oregon lawyer Brandon Mayfield against the federal government after the FBI mistakenly linked him to the Madrid train bombings in 2004. The lower court found that secret searches of Mayfield's house and office violated the Fourth Amendment's guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure. Read the press release (Word document) Read the amicus brief (PDF)
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