American Civil Liberties Union

Blacks in Minnesota 8 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than whites, study says

Whatever the reason, Minnesota cops are far more likely to arrest blacks for pot possession than whites, according to a new study by the ACLU.SEE ALSO: Mark Hamburger's MLB career derailed by pot; he now lives in parents' Shoreview basementAccording to the study, blacks were nearly eight times as li ... More >>

Gay bullying must end

In wake of suicides, schools face federal scrutiny

Asad Zaman, TiZA boss, withdraws $356,000 bankruptcy claim

Former TiZA Executive Director Asad Zaman withdrew a claim worth $356,406.01 against the school's bankruptcy estate this week. Zaman co-founded Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, which in 2009 became perhaps the most controversial charter school in America when the ACLU of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against t ... More >>

ACLU settles with former TiZA boss Asad Zaman

The ACLU reached a settlement agreement last week with Asad Zaman, the former executive director of Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy. Terms of the agreement, which was recorded in federal court last Thursday, have not been publicly disclosed. Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the ACLU, declined to com ... More >>

New York Times on MN voter ID amendment: Solution to a "virtually non-existent problem"

In a column published last night, New York Times editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal blasts Minnesota Republicans for pushing a voter ID amendment through the legislature."I never cease to be amazed -- in a really bad way -- at the lengths to which Republican lawmakers will go to cut down the num ... More >>

ACLU denies Minnesota Majority's claim to $1,000 voter impersonation bounty

​The ACLU of Minnesota announced today that for the time being, it will not be paying out the $1,000 bounty it offered in exchange for a proven case of voter impersonation.In February, the ACLU offered $1,000 for any "no good lyin' cheatin' vote stealin' rascal who would have been caught if the c ... More >>

ACLU files First Amendment lawsuit against state on behalf of activist Melissa Hill

​With the help of some legal heavy-hitters, Melissa Hill hopes to make the Federal Protective Services, state of Minnesota, and city of Minneapolis pay for her sidewalk chalking-related June arrest.Hill was detained and issued a trespass order for "damaging public property" while inscribing an ant ... More >>

Mary Franson introduces bill blocking employers from asking for social media passwords

​Mary Franson has caused us to shake our heads a couple times already this month -- first when she compared food stamp recipients to wild animals, then again when she outed herself as a careless driver to "scoop" the Strib's Jon Tevlin.But today, instead of shaking our heads at her, we're nodding ... More >>

ACLU sues Minnewaska schools after student punished for teacher-bashing Facebook post

​The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit against Minnewaska Area Schools for alleged violations of a 12-year-old female student's constitutional rights.In one string of incidents, the girl was repeatedly disciplined after posting on Facebook that she "hated" a teacher who had been "mean" to her. She ... More >>

Minnesota Majority uncovers evidence of voter impersonation, claims ACLU's $1,000 bounty

​Last month, the ACLU of Minnesota announced they'd give $1,000 to anyone who could produce proof of a voter impersonation conviction from the last decade. The idea, of course, was to illustrate the pointlessness of the Minnesota Majority-led Voter ID amendment drive, which would require all state ... More >>

TiZA bankruptcy trustee settles for $1,400,000 with ACLU

​TiZA bankruptcy trustee John Hedback announced Friday that he had reached a settlement agreement with the ACLU of Minnesota over attorney's fees and costs. In exchange for the ACLU dismissing its federal lawsuit against Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, Hedback will pay the ACLU $1,400,000. Attorneys for ... More >>

The truth behind TiZA

The controversial charter school was more than just a First Amendment fiasco

Minnesota ACLU places $1,000 bounty on voter-impersonatin' "rascals"

​The ACLU of Minnesota has stepped into the voter-ID controversy by offering a bounty: $1,000 for any "no good lyin' cheatin' vote stealin' rascal who would have been caught if the currently proposed Voter ID Amendment had already been enacted." ACLU Executive Director Chuck Samuelson is confide ... More >>

TiZA bankruptcy trustee opposes paying landlord, in part, "on the basis that they were fraudulent transfers"

TiZA's bankruptcy case rages on​Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy is closed but its bankruptcy case continues in federal court, and the bankruptcy trustee assigned to the case is considering filing a claim against the school's former landlords. "I am probably going to commence such a proceeding," John ... More >>

Occupy MN and ACLU sue Hennepin County

​The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of four members of the Occupy MN movement. The 92-page filing lists Hennepin County, the county commissioners, Sheriff Rich Stanek, and "unnamed" Hennepin County deputies and security officers as defendants. At the heart of the lawsuit is whether new restri ... More >>

Occupy MN will defy new Hennepin County protest restrictions

Protesters are again willing to risk arrest.​A countdown is on to this evening, when Hennepin County officials have set the deadline for disallowing sleeping, signs and portable toilets in Government Plaza, effectively ending the "occupation" part of the Occupy MN movement. But the protesters are ... More >>

Occupy MN protesters barred from sleeping in Government Plaza starting Monday

Occupy MN FacebookAn occupier gets in Sheriff Rich Stanek's face outside the commissioner's meeting Tuesday.​Hennepin County commissioners voted unanimously in favor of enacting yet another raft of stricter rules on Occupy MN protesters camping out in Government Plaza. According to the new restri ... More >>

Occupy MN protesters defy Hennepin County orders; ACLU threatens lawsuit [UPDATE]

The occupiers are refusing to move from in front of a sign.​This morning, Hennepin County maintenance removed all of Occupy MN protesters' signs from Government Plaza. Just before noon, however, a small contingent of the occupiers started putting them back up. Now, seven occupiers have linked ar ... More >>

Occupy MN gets law enforcement OK for occupation of Government Plaza

​In a series of meetings held over the past couple of days, Occupy MN organizers have received tentative approval for their plans to camp out in the Hennepin County Government Center plaza starting tomorrow at 9 a.m. The plaza is public property, but organizers still met with the Hennepin County ... More >>

TiZA, Islamic-themed charter school, closes for good

TiZA's 500-some students are moving on to other schools.​Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, the controversial charter school that ran afoul of the Minnesota Education Department and a new state law, is closing its doors permanently.TiZA's board voted Tuesday not to appeal the Education Department's decision ... More >>

"Boobies" banned in Wisconsin middle school, ACLU alerted

Banned in Wisconsin.​The "I Heart Boobies" breast cancer awareness bracelets that made Fairmont High School officials blush last September have now been banned at Wisconsin's Sauk Prairie Middle School. And thanks to seventh-grader Kaisey Jenkins' older sister, the American Civil Liberties U ... More >>

ACLU of Minnesota accidentally dissolved itself

ACLU-MN.orgFor a minute there, they lost themselves.​The ACLU of Minnesota doesn't actually exist. That was one of the more awkward revelations in last week's flurry of filings in the ACLU's ongoing lawsuit against the Tariq ibn Ziyad Academy. The civil liberties group sued the school and the ... More >>

Terror becomes Arizona policy

Help us help the ACLU challenge Arizona immigration law

TiZA inquiry ruling nixes race bias

​The Minnesota Education Department's investigation into the test scores and teaching licenses of Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy was not racially motivated, the U.S. Education Department ruled this week.The Inver Groves Heights academy known as TiZA is a charter school whose student body is about 80 perc ... More >>

TiZA families join lawsuit against ACLU in battle over religious designation

Families of children attending Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy want to join the legal fight raging between the school and the ACLU.

TiZA to ACLU: I see your lawsuit and I raise you one

So the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota sued a Twin Cities charter school for allegedly mixing religion and public education. What does the school do? Sue them back of course!

Readers respond to "Fletcher's Gang"

Conservative columnist Katherine Kersten finds unlikely ally in the ACLU

The Strib's Kersten takes issue with church vs. state—but only when it involves Islam

NYC Hebrew school sparking debates similar to Minn. Arabic school

Tuesday's five most fascinating stories printed on wood pulp.

ACLU suing charter school that caters to Muslims

Breakfast of Champions 7/3: Arresting visuals

Minneapolis city council restricts free speech in wake of convention

Want to speak freely? Better get permission first

Louis CK

True Tales of the Twin Cities

9/5 Morning Communiqué

6/1: Morning Communique

Savage Love

1/27: Morning Communique

In Piss They Trust

Will the debut of student drug testing in Minnesota stem the troubles of a violent town?

9/1: Morning Communique

Generation Ecstasy Comes Down

Congress thinks the RAVE Act is a natural high for the War on Drugs. But ravers aren't smiling.

Battle Lines

Stark Reality

Board Games

The MCLU appears poised to flOut findings by its parent organization charging the chapter with electoral impropriety.

Liberty Hell

The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union may have violated state nonprofit laws according to its parent organization, The ACLU. Critics in the local group want a new board election.

THE ACLU JUST SAYS NO TO A POWER GRAB

Taking Liberties

THE MINNESOTA CIVIL Liberties Union's controversial board-packing move last spring--widely regarded as a power grab orchestrated by MCLU founder Matthew Stark and current president Jules Beck--has been condemned as undemocratic by the n

Big Brother, Inc.

Why are businesses spying on their own employees more and more? Because they can.

Bill of Wrongs

The terrors of counterterrorism.