ACLU of Mississippi

Urge Justice Department to Reject MS Voter ID Plan

The right to vote is essential to our democracy. To deny any eligible voter that opportunity is to undermine the fundamental freedoms that define who we are as a nation. The ACLU of Mississippi is urging Attorney General Eric Holder to refuse changes to the state's voting requirements. Download postcard to send to Holder.

School District Settles ACLU Suit Over Student's Yearbook Photo Exclusion

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Mississippi have reached an agreement with the Copiah County School District in a dispute over the exclusion of student Ceara Sturgis' photo from the senior portrait section of the yearbook because she posed in a tuxedo. The district has agreed to adopt a policy that will require all students to wear a cap and gown, rather than require boys to wear tuxedos and girls to wear drapes. As part of the agreement the school will include Sturgis’ photo featuring the tuxedo in her class’ composite picture hanging in the school library. Read more.

ACLU Files Suit Over Arrest of Woman During BP Protest

The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has filed suit on behalf of a Gulf Coast woman, challenging her 2010 arrest for her peaceful protest of the BP oil spill. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Gulfport on behalf of Sandra Howard of Long Beach. The suit alleges Howard's constitutional rights were violated when she was prevented from engaging in a protest in a traditional public forum. It also alleges she was subjected to unlawful detention and seizure, and that her right to due process was violated. Read the complaint...

ACLU Releases Protester Advisory in Response To Occupy Demonstrations

In response to "Occupy" demonstrations in the state, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has released a protester advisory. This advisory gives basic information about the rights of protesters, the limitations of those rights and what to do if these rights are violated. The ACLU protester advisory also makes clear the difference between protected speech and civil disobedience, in which protesters choose to break the law, and face potential arrest, in order to make a point. Protest groups have emerged in Mississippi in the wake of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement in New York City. The movement attracted national attention when over 700 protesters were arrested while marching on the Brooklyn Bridge. Read advisory.