Politics - Oct. 22, 2009
How can feds give SEWRPC 4 more years?
How can federal officials, especially after the change in administrations in Washington, give SEWRPC a pat on the head and another four years of power over jobs, land-use and housing development in our region when the ACLU of Wisconsin documented practices institutionalized at SEWRPC that routinely favor whites and suburbanites in hiring, spending, and key advisory committee memberships?
Tags: SEWRPC, Federal Highway Administration, ACLU

Politics - Aug. 14, 2009
Waving the flag for free speech
A Crivitz supper club owner will get help from a bevy of lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin as he sues the village for denying his right to fly the U.S. flag upside down.
Tags: Critivz, Vito J. Congine, ACLU, smoking ban, Milwaukee River Dam, Estabrook Park, Gov. Jim Doyle, Sen. Russ Feingold, Ald. Terry Witkowski, Ald. Robert Bauman, Cash for Clunkers

Politics - March 13, 2009
City addresses license plate victims' sticker shock
The City of Milwaukee will give a break to vehicle owners who have had their registration stickers ripped off -- sort of. For the past two years parking checkers issued $50 tickets to unregistered vehicles and those without stickers no matter the circumstance. The city can also tow those vehicles. In an effort to be less punitive the city now issues tickets for failing to display registration, which run $17 instead of $50.
Tags: West Bend, license plate sticker theft, Emilio De Torre, ACLU, Jim Holperin, Scott Walker, Joe Wineke, Custer High School, Jason Field, Ed Flynn, John Chisholm, UWM, Kyle Duerstein, UW Regents, Michael Moscicke, Nancy Mistele, Brittany Zimmerman, Kathleen

Bars & Clubs - Feb. 10, 2009
Sobriety checkpoints meet controversy at every turn
Sobriety checkpoints are a controversial issue in Wisconsin, a state in which casual, responsible alcohol consumption and its dangerous cousin -- binge drinking -- are part of the culture. Currently, Wisconsin is one of 12 states that does not allow police to set up roadblocks to investigate the possibility that operators are too impaired to drive. Many lawmakers would like to keep it that way.
Tags: jim doyle, sobriety checkpoints, drunk driving, chris ahmuty, aclu

Politics - Nov. 14, 2008
ACLU sues over police shutdown of play
It's taken a few years, but the ACLU of Wisconsin has filed a federal First Amendment lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department for its role in shutting down a play entitled "Naked Boys Singing," a musical with gay themes that has been produced around the country. The cops shut down the play in 2005, contending that the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center didn't have a proper theater license.
Tags: Grant Langley, ACLU, Cassvile, Public Service Commission, Justin Fields, Milwaukee Police Department, Scott Walker, Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, Naked Boys Singing