Tattered Cover Decision an
ACLU Victory Too!

ACLU of Colorado was thrilled to be a part of the recent Colorado Supreme Court decision upholding the right of the general public to purchase books anonymously and without governmental interference. Civil libertarians across the nation are applauding Joyce Meskis, owner of the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, for her courage and tenacity in standing up for the rights of readers.

The case involved an attempt by law enforcement officials to use a search warrant to gain access to the book-buying records of a suspected criminal. The Court held that law enforcement officials must show a compelling need for access to customer purchase records - a need sufficiently compelling to outweigh the harm likely caused to constitutional interests by execution of the search.

ACLU of Colorado submitted an amicus brief urging the Court to protect the rights of readers. Bruce Jones of Holland and Hart, ACLU's cooperating attorney who filed the brief, said the ruling "was written with a breadth of analysis that will extend beyond Colorado just because of how thorough and careful and persuasively the court presented its analysis."

We are grateful to Mr. Jones for the work he did in preparing the brief and to all the attorneys and friends who helped in defending and supporting this case.