Legal

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Legal Department Legal Advocacy, 2006-Present

The ACLU of Colorado Legal Department’s Legal Advocacy page highlights occasions when the Legal Department has addressed civil liberties issues with letters, phone calls or other informal advocacy (ACLU of Colorado litigation is detailed in the docket portion of the ACLU of Colorado website). It includes descriptons of Legal Advocacy since the end of 2006.

Examples of Legal Advocacy are listed below in reverse chronological order. Click on any title below to view the full description:

School agrees to remove suspension for insult from student's record
March, 2010 The ACLU of Colorado advocates on behalf of a student whose online, off-campus speech earned her a suspension.

Afro Advocacy: The ACLU stands up for local woman's hairstyle
November, 2009 ACLU Staff Attorney writes a letter to a Denver restaurant manager who was harassing a waitress because of her afro hairstyle.

In response to ACLU letter, jail disables locks on cell doors
September, 2009 A months-long ACLU investigation resulted in a resounding success for basic human rights and dignity for persons charged with crimes in Weld County. 

City of Grand Junction Drops Disorderly Conduct Charge Against Woman Exercising Free Speech
August, 2009  A spat between two neighbors ended with police involvement and troubling consequences for free speech.

City of Thornton backs off restrictions on free speech after ACLU raises concerns
July 21, 2009  In response to concerns raised by the ACLU over a new resolution restricting free speech at Ciy sponsored events, the City revised some of the most onerous provisions and provided assurance that no person could be criminally prosecuted for violating the resolution.

ACLU stands up for Fourth Amendment rights of Loveland gun-owner
July 16, 2009  The ACLU argues that Loveland police officers violated the Fourth Amendment when they detained a Loveland resident solely because he possessed a legal, unconcealed firearm.

ACLU urges Grand Junction not to adopt emergency anti-solicitation ordinances
June 29, 2009 The ACLU of Colorado urges Grand Junction City Councilors not to pass "emergency" anti-solicitation ordinances without careful review and revision of unconstitutional sections

ACLU convinces school to clear student's name
March 10, 2009 The ACLU of Colorado asks Poudre School District officials to clear the disciplinary file of a student wrongly suspended for free speech.

ACLU conducts months-long investigation into the confiscation and destruction of homeless persons' private property in Colorado Springs
March 5, 2009 The ACLU of Colorado writes to Chief Myers of the Colorado Springs Police Department after receiving various complaints about improper searches and seizures against homeless persons.

ACLU challenges distribution of New Testament to elementary public school students
February, 2009 The ACLU of Colorado responds to a letter from concerned parents after receiving a "permission slip" requesting consent to allow the school to give their children a copy of the New Testament.

ACLU Demands El Paso County Jail to End Policy of "Vetting" Prisoners' Religious Beliefs
March, 2008 The ACLU of Colorado wrote a letter asking the El Paso County Jail to end its policy of requiring inmates to provide a letter from a “licensed/ordained clergy person” confirming their status as a practicing member of the faith before the jail would serve them meals that conformed to their religious beliefs.

ACLU Of Colorado And Colorado Chapter Of AILA Halt Harrassment of Immigration Court Attendees
February, 2008 The ACLU of Colorado and Colorado Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) worked together to stop the unjustified detention of persons entering a downtown federal building. 

Denver Metro Area City Dismisses Case Against High School Student Ticketed For Protected Speech
July, 2007 A Denver metro area city abandoned efforts to criminally prosecute a high school student for comments allegedly directed toward a neighbor after the ACLU of Colorado asserted that the prosecution was patently unconstitutional.

Law Student Receives Religious Accommodation For Bar Exam
May, 2007 A letter from the ACLU of Colorado convinced state bar examiners to grant an accommodation to a student when the first day of the test conflicted with a day of religious observance.

ACLU Protects Religious Rights Of Prisoners At Teller County Jail
April, 2007 When the Teller County Jail told inmates that they would not be allowed to have “certain religious articles or diets,” the ACLU of Colorado stepped in to defend the rights of prisoners to observe their religion.

Weld County Sheriff Adds Disclaimer to Online Arrest Report:
April, 2007 In response to a letter from the ACLU of Colorado, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office added a disclaimer to their online arrest report, ensuring that site visitors wouldn't believe that persons listed on the site had been convicted of committing a crime.

Seventh Day Adventist Prisoner Receives Proper Religious Diet:
March, 2007 A Seventh-Day Adventist imprisoned in the Colorado Department of Corrections finally received a religious diet after the ACLU of Colorado communicated with prison authorities on the prisoner’s behalf.

Legal Access for Prisoners at Yuma County Jail Improves:
March, 2007 The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office improved legal access for prisoners at the Yuma County Jail after ACLU of Colorado Staff Attorney Taylor Pendergrass raised concerns about the jail’s policy.

Mesa County Library Posts Disclaimer on Religious Display:
February, 2007 After a letter from the ALCU of Colorado, a disclaimer was added to a Mesa County Library display informing viewers that the government did not endorse the message of the display which contained religious statements.

Defending the Right of a Public Employee to Wear Button to Work:
December, 2006 The ACLU of Colorado defended the right of a public employee to wear a three and one-half inch button that said “U.S. Out of Iraq.”

Questioning a Nine-Month Delay for Immigrant's Driver's License Renewal:
December, 2006 When a legal permanent resident could not get her driver’s license renewal application approved for over nine months, the ACLU of Colorado wrote the Colorado Department of Revenue requesting an explanation.

CO Mental Health Institute at Pueblo revises policies following ACLU-CO investigation into mass search:
November, 2006 After receiving numerous complaints from patients at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP), the ACLU of Colorado initiated an investigation into allegations of a mass strip search and search of patient’s property.

ACLU-CO Supports Parole for 2 Non-U.S. Citizens Held by Immigration: November, 2006 The ACLU of Colorado wrote a letter in support of parole for two non-U.S. citizens recently detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

Boulder Valley School District ends use of Kindergartener Fingerprinting System November, 2006 At the request of the Boulder County Chapter of the ACLU of Colorado, the ACLU of Colorado inquired into allegations that the Boulder Valley School District was utilizing new technology to gather fingerprint data from kindergarten students.

U.S. Immigration Agency Releases Improper Hold on U.S. Citizen:
September, 2006 A U.S. citizen improperly held in a county jail for months was finally released after the ACLU of Colorado contacted the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

Protecting CSU Students’ Right to Post Flyers on State Ballot Issues:
September, 2006 Colorado State University allows students to hang Amendment 44 flyers after involvement by the ACLU of Colorado.

Arvada Parade Organizers Allow Peace Group After ACLU-CO Involvement:
September, 2006 When the organizer for the City of Arvada’s Fall Harvest parade denied the parade application of Colorado Citizens for Peace, a local Arvada group, the leader of the group contacted the ACLU of Colorado

ACLU-CO Letter Prompts Sheriff to Improve Unpaid Ticket Database Accuracy
July, 2006 In response to a letter from the ACLU of Colorado, the Boulder County Sheriff made improvements to a computer database to lessen the chance that persons would be wrongfully arrested for tickets they had already paid.

ACLU-CO Assists Colorado Prisoner in Obtaining Proper Medical Care:
July, 2006 With the assistance of the ACLU of Colorado, a prisoner in Fremont Correctional Facility was able to receive new, unused colostomy bags as required by his physician.