Legal
Colorado ACLU Cases

Legal Department Docket, 2002-Present

Case Name: Tattered Cover Bookstore, Inc. v. City of Thornton
Case Number: 01-SA-205, Colorado Supreme Court
ACLU Case Number: 2001-01

Description: Asserting the First Amendment rights of its customers, the Tattered Cover Bookstore challenged a search warrant obtained by police that sought information about all books purchased by a customer in a 30-day period. The ACLU of Colorado filed an amicus brief arguing that the state constitutional right of free expression requires special procedural protections when the government seeks information about who is reading which particular books. In a groundbreaking opinion that recognizes the dangers posed by government monitoring of citizens’ reading habits, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in favor of the bookstore.

Issues: Freedom of speech; privacy; police practices

Published Opinion: Tattered Cover Bookstore, Inc. v. City of Thornton, 44 P.3d 1044 (Colo. 2002)

ACLU of Colorado Attorneys: A. Bruce Jones, Susannah W. Pollvogt, Nicholas M. Billings, Mark Silverstein

Links to Selected Documents:

ACLU Amicus brief, filed June 11, 2001

Tattered Cover v. City of Thornton, 44 P.3d 1044 (Colo. 2002)

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