News & Commentary

LITTLE ROCK, July 19, 2010 -- The City of North Little Rock has responded to concerns raised by North Little Rock residents and the Arkansas Civil Liberties Union concerning prayer before city council meetings. The Arkansas Civil Liberties Union, in response to concerns expressed by North Little Rock residents about the city council's practice of offering a sectarian prayer to open council meetings, contacted the city attorney and urged the city to end this unconstitutional practice. Noting that only pr

La Union Americana de Libertades Civiles de Arkansas (ACLU de AR) emite una alerta a los residentes del estado de Arkansas respecto a posibles amenazas a los derechos constitucionales y libertades civiles de individuos que tengan pensado viajar o permanecer en el Estado de Arizona.

Please see document referenced below in the documents section.

Please see document referenced below in the documents section.

Conforme se aproxima el fin de semana feriado, la ACLU del estado de Arkansas difunde alerta a residentes del estado que viajen a Arizona

On April 23, 2010, Arizona enacted a state racial profiling law, SB 1070, that has generated fear and confusion among the public about the treatment and rights of Americans in the State of Arizona. Although the law is not scheduled to go into effect until July 29, 2010, and multiple lawsuits have already been filed to prevent it from taking effect at all, a history of rampant racial profiling by law enforcement officials in Maricopa County, Arizona (which includes the cities of Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, and Scottsdale) and a stated policy of "attrition through enforcement" adopted by lawmakers in the state give credible reason to be concerned even before the date SB 1070 is supposed to go into effect. The law will requir

LITTLE ROCK, AR, June 30, 2010 -- In response to civil liberties threats caused by the recent passage of Arizona's racial profiling law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas issued a travel alert today informing Arkansas residents of their rights when stopped by law enforcement when traveling in Arizona. The unconstitutional law, known as SB 1070, requires law enforcement agents to demand "papers" from people they stop who they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S. If individuals are unable to prove to officers that they are permitted to be in the U.S., they may be subject to warrantless arrest without any probable cause that they have committed a crime. Although the law is

Please see document referenced below in the documents section.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 15, 2009LITTLE ROCK, AR – A federal judge this week granted a request by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas that a temporary Winter Solstice display be allowed to be erected on the grounds of the state Capitol.   ?The ACLU of Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit last week charging Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels with violating the free speech rights of the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers by illegally barring them from putting up their display, despite the fact that it meets the requirements of the state capitol display policy and despite the presence of another display on the grounds.??"This is a victory for freedom of speech in America," said Rita Sklar, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arkansas. "People cannot be arbitrarily denied their constitutionally protected right to free expression in a public forum, and that is exactly what had happened in this case."In 1993, the Arkansas Secretary of State adopted a policy for "Temporary Displays on State Capitol Grounds." The policy set up a system whereby any person or group could put up a temporary display by meeting certain requirements, including sturdiness and non-interference with pedestrian traffic. The Freethinkers' proposed display met the guidelines of the policy, but was nonetheless rejected by Daniels, who cited an Arkansas statute providing authority to the state capitol police to maintain "proper order and decorum."On further inquiry, the Secretary of State's office asserted that the proposed display did not have the proper "tone." Later, the office added that a Winter Solstice display would not be consistent with the other displays and decorations at the Capitol. According to court papers filed by the ACLU, the only other temporary display on state capitol grounds is "a crèche with a wood exterior and nativity figures carved out of wood. The display is not decorated with lights or ornamentation of any kind and is devoid of a festive tone."The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers is a statewide non-profit organization in part dedicated to promoting education and awareness of Freethinkers, their history, activities and holidays. The group filed a written application to put up a display October 16, describing the meaning and history of the Winter Solstice holiday. Though the Society of Freethinkers could have sought to have the existing nativity scene removed, the suit did not request this relief.  Instead, the Society of Freethinkers sought and obtained permission to include their display as part of the celebration, as was intended by the Secretary of State's policy and by the First Amendment.The Winter Solstice celebration is an ancient tradition that is celebrated by the Freethinkers annually from approximately November 15 to January 5. The Society of Freethinkers asserts that the purpose of the Winter Solstice display is to express some of the members' beliefs and to educate the public about the Winter Solstice and Freethinkers.Pictures of the Freethinkers display can be seen at: wintersolsticedisplay.info and more information about the ACLU's work on Religious Freedom and Belief can be found at http://www.aclu.org/religion-belief .Attached:Opinion and Order Granting Preliminary Injunction - December 16, 2009