The ACLU of Montana supports peaceful protest, but violent attacks against reproductive health care providers are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. We stand with the staff at All Families Healthcare in Kalispell, Doctor Susan Cahill and the women and families who utilize the clinic for primary and reproductive health care. The clinic was vandalized overnight. […]
Sarah Howell, director of Montana Women Vote, spoke at the Feb. 10 Missoula Council meeting against an anti-panhandling law that violates civil liberties and for commonsense actions that protect safety and actually help Missoula’s poor and homeless. Thank you, Sarah. Here are her comments: We appreciate the opportunity to offer comment on the proposed amendments […]
Supporters of safety and civil liberties turned out Monday, Feb. 10 to testify in favor of changes to Missoula’s panhandling ordinance. As it stands now, the ordinance violates First Amendment rights without doing anything to enhance safety. Here are the comments from Janet Finn, a Missoula resident and chair of the social work program at […]
This blog entry first ran at www.FairIsFairMontana.com. Whose love stories will win the most outrageous gay weddings ever? You decide! We at the ACLU are chipping in to help 5 same-sex couples have a Big, Gay, (Il)legal Wedding to highlight the unfair patchwork of state marriage laws and why it’s so important for everyone to […]
Looking for a way to commemorate the remarkable life of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Communities across Montana are hosting events. Here’s a round-up of what’s going on. Butte Celebration to Commemorate Martin Luther King Day Friday, January 17, 5 p.m. Butte-Silver Bow County Courthouse Rotunda 155 W. Granite Remarks from local community members, along with Martin […]
UPDATE 1/14/2014: Missoula commissioners voted Monday night to send the ordinance back to committee for reconsideration. Missoula Commissioners may vote tonight to reconsider an ordinance that criminalizes panhandling. In addition to a prohibition on solicitations for money downtown and in much of Missoula, the Missoula ordinance also prohibits sitting or lying on sidewalks within 20 […]
UPDATE 1/17/2104: Gov. Bullock’s response to DHS. Governor Steve Bullock sent a strong message to the Department of Homeland Security yesterday, saying Montana will not cave in to pressure to comply with the REAL ID Act. “You know, as attorney general I said no to [the REAL ID Act], the legislature said ‘no’ to it. […]
The past few years have seen unprecedented assaults on women’s reproductive freedom. In states across the country, including Montana, abortion restrictions are becoming law at an alarming rate. According to the Guttmacher Institute, more abortion restrictions have been enacted in the past three years than in the entire decade before. In 2013 alone, 39 states […]
A federal judge ruled yesterday that a Boise ordinance prohibiting panhandling is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment. The ordinance is similar to one recently passed in Missoula, which the ACLU of Montana opposes. Courts, like the U.S. District Court in Boise, have repeatedly ruled that begging is a protected form of speech. What […]
2013 was a good year for civil liberties in Montana. While much work remains on a lot of issues, we’re definitely happy to celebrate our victories over the past year. Privacy – While privacy took a beating at the national level, Montana lawmakers took great steps to protect us here in our state. New laws […]
