News October 2005 ACLU Asks Court to Require Immediate Action to Stop Harassment of Gay and Transgender Youth at Hawai'i Juvenile Detention Facility (10/04/2005) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union has asked a federal court to order the state's juvenile detention facility to take immediate action to halt harassment and abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender wards. The ACLU's motion for a preliminary injunction aims to force Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) to implement policies and training to protect LGBT youth in its care. September 2005 ACLU of Hawaii Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Gala Awards Dinner Sunday, 9/25/05 Keynote speech by internationally reknowned security technologist & author Bruce Schneier (09/08/2005) Local Civil Liberties Advocates to be Recognized at Special Awards Ceremony Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai‘i celebrates 40 years of protecting the Bill of Rights statewide with a gala fundraising event on September 25 featuring a keynote address by renowned author, security critic and commentator Bruce Schneier. Three awards will be also presented to local individuals for outstanding work to promote civil liberties awareness. The event will occur at the Renaissance Waikiki Ilikai Hotel beginning at 5:00 p.m. Citing Shocking Incidents of Harassment of Gay Youth, ACLU Files Federal Civil Lawsuit against Hawaii Juvenile Detention Facility (09/02/2005) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of three young people who say they have been abused and harassed because of their sexual orientation and gender identity while at the state’s juvenile detention facility. ACLU of Hawaii Hails Hawaii Supreme Court Victory Invalidating Ballot Question As Unconstitutional (09/02/2005) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii (ACLU of Hawaii) today cheered a decision by the Hawaii Supreme Court invalidating Ballot Question 1 of the 2004 general election because of significant procedural errors made by the state Legislature. August 2005 ACLU Urges State to Act on Department of Justice Findings on Youth Correctional Facility (08/12/2005) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii (ACLU) urged State officials to act immediately on the findings released today about the Department of Justice’s investigation into conditions and practices at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) many of which were problems uncovered by an earlier ACLU investigation. July 2005 ACLU of Hawaii Expands Lawsuit To Invalidate Statewide Residency Requirement for Jobs (7/7/2005) Honolulu — The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii (ACLU) announced today that it has expanded its federal civil rights class action lawsuit concerning Hawaii’s residency hiring requirement. The ACLU is representing two Florida residents who tried to apply for City and County of Honolulu and State jobs, including a retired military officer who relocated to Oahu. June 2005 U.S. Attorney Retracts Threat of Prosecution After Receiving Demand from ACLU of Hawaii - State Affirms Doctors Have Constitutional Right to Recommend Medical Marijuana (6/13/2005) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii today said it appreciated the “clarification” of comments by U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo regarding doctors who recommend medical marijuana to their patients. Hawaii Medical Marijuana Program: Alive - ACLU of Hawaii Demands Immediate Retraction from U.S. Attorney in Hawaii - Doctors Still Have Constitutional Right to Recommend Medical Marijuana (6/8/2005) Honolulu – The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii (ACLU) demanded in a letter today that U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo immediately retract comments threatening to arrest doctors who recommend medical marijuana to their patients. May 2005 ACLU Youth Award Winners Announced (5/23/2005) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i today announced that two Kamehameha Schools students who started a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at the private school and a Pahoa High and Intermediate School senior are recipients in the third annual Guardians of Liberty and Justice Youth Awards. April 2005 Joint Statement By The ACLU Of Hawai'i, The Interfaith Alliance Hawai'i And Kokua Council Groups Urge Legislature To Heed Community's Demand To Repeal Act 50 "The Squatter's Law" (4/21/2005) Honolulu - HB806, the bill to repeal Act 50, the law that its opponents say criminalizes homelessness, has passed unanimously in the Senate and is ready to go to a House-Senate conference committee. Although the House has already chosen its conferees, Senate President Robert Bunda has thus far refused to appoint conferees from the Senate side. ACLU Annual Meeting Invites Public to Know Their Rights (4/12/2005) Honolulu ­ The ACLU of Hawai'i is inviting the public to attends its annual meeting April 21 which will be a briefing on legislative, legal and public education actions statewide to protect the Bill of Rights. March 2005 Joint Statement by Community Alliance on Prisons and the ACLU of Hawai'i Calls Upon Community to Press Governor and Department of Public Safety to Mount a Thorough and Independent Investigation of Growing Scandal at Brush Prison in Colorado (3/24/2005) Honolulu - The growing scandal at the Brush Correctional Facility holding women inmates from Hawai'i requires an immediate, independent and thorough investigation. In the latest development, we have learned today that Hawai'i inmates are being denied phone calls to their attorney. February 2005 Tom Gill Scholar Winner From Hakipu'u Charter School Will Work on Legislative Issues (2/14/2005) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai’i announced today that Raquel "Honey-girl" Hoe-Pedro, an 11-th grader from the windward charter school Hakipu'u Learning Center, is the first recipient of its Thomas P. Gill Scholar award and will work with the ACLU during the current legislative session. State Settlement Reached with ACLU Over Incarceration of Innocent Individuals (2/10/2005) Honolulu - The State of Hawai`i has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle a class action federal civil rights lawsuit brought on behalf of hundreds of innocent individuals who were wrongly detained by the State Department of Public Safety (PSD) after being ordered released by the courts and, in some cases, subjected to unconstitutional strip and body cavity searches without legal justification. Former Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr and ACLU National President Nadine Strossen to Debate at Davis Levin First Amendment Conference March 26 Fourth ACLU Conference Focuses on Threats to First Amendment and other Fundamental Freedoms in Post-9/11 World (2/9/2005) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai'i Foundation is sponsoring the fourth Davis Levin First Amendment Conference, this year focusing on the threats to fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights in a post-9/11 America. November 2004 ACLU Sues to Invalidate Ballot Amendment (11/22/2004) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii (ACLU) filed a lawsuit today to invalidate a ballot measure to change the State Constitution, which passed in the general election, and criticized the legislature for failing to follow the mandatory requirements when proposing amendments. October 2004 ACLU Statement Says Governor's Attacks Are Baseless (10/19/2004) Honolulu - The ACLU today countered Governor Lingle's remarks about its work on improving youth facility conditions and challenged the Governor to heed her own advice. ACLU Files Election Lawsuit To Stop Ballot Amendment (10/15/2004) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii filed a lawsuit today on behalf of eight registered voters to stop a ballot amendment from going forward in the general election. Filed in Circuit Court against Governor Linda Lingle and Chief Elections officer Dwayne Yoshina, the lawsuit asks the court to stop the placement of Constitutional Amendment Question 1 on the general election ballot because the legislature failed to follow procedures required of a constitutional amendment before the electorate votes. September 2004 ACLU Forum on U.S. Supreme Court Highlights National Security and Personal Freedom Threats (9/29/04) Honolulu - The U.S. Supreme Court opens its 2004 term next Monday and the ACLU of Hawai'i is offering a public forum to raise awareness about the impact of Court decisions on daily American life. National ACLU legal director Steven Shapiro will keynote the October 30 event which is free to the public. ACLU ASKS COURT TO STOP ENFORCEMENT OF THE "SQUATTERS LAW" (9/27/2004) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii today filed a motion in the U.S. District Court to stop enforcement of a recently enacted trespass statute because it gives public officials overly broad powers to ban individuals from using public spaces such as beaches, streets or sidewalks, and it has already been misused. Judge Helen Gillmor is scheduled to hear argument on the Motion on October 25, 2004 at 9:45 a.m. ACLU CALLS ON POLICE CHIEFS TO LIMIT TASER GUN USE (9/16/2004) Honolulu - Citing uncertainty about the safety of taser guns and an increasing number of in-custody deaths associated with its use, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii today called on Honolulu Police Chief Boisse Correa and Maui Police Chief Thomas Phillips to revise their use-of-force policies to allow taser use only in situations where lethal force would be justified. ACLU Sues State Charging "Squatters Law" Curtails Right Of Access To Public Spaces (9/7/2004) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Governor Linda Lingle and Attorney General Mark Bennett charging that a recently enacted trespass statute is unconstitutional and gives public officials overly broad powers to ban individuals from using public spaces such as beaches, streets or sidewalks. August 2004 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO INVESTIGATE YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITY (8/30/2004) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawaii learned last Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the conditions at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility. The federal investigation comes nearly one year after the ACLU first exposed the inhumane and unconstitutional conditions at HYCF. June 2004 In Historic Court Victory for ACLU, Honolulu Agrees to Create New Rules Affirming Free Speech and Religious Neutrality(6/23/2004) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai¹i claimed victory today in three First Amendment cases resulting in a historic settlement agreement with the city and county of Honolulu, which ensured that gay rights organizations and other political groups cannot be blocked from participating in city-sponsored events and that taxpayer funds will no longer be used to promote one religion over others. Youth Award Winners Announced (6/23/2004) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i today announced that a Baldwin High School senior with a dramatic flair for the Bill of Rights, a Punahou High School senior who founded the first Gay Straight Alliance in a private school and a Kalani High School senior who fought against racial intolerance are winners of the second annual ACLU of Hawai'i Youth Award. ACLU Urges Governor to Break Stalemate Over Brutal Conditions at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (6/14/2004) Honolulu - Ten months after exposing the brutal and unconstitutional treatment of children at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF), the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii (ACLU) has discovered that the Office of Youth Services (OYS), which has oversight of HYCF, authored a document that confirms the existence of all but two of the ACLU’s stated concerns. The ACLU charges that OYS Executive Director, Sharon Agnew, has derailed a collaborative effort by closing the doors to any discussions with the organization about reform. The ACLU today urged Governor Lingle to address the unabated conditions at HYCF and move State discussions back on track. April 2004 ACLU Youth Award Seeks Nominations (4/14/2004) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i seeks to recognize high school students statewide whose actions have raised awareness about the Bill of Rights. Nominees for the Youth Award are eligible for a $1,000 or one of two $500 cash awards. March 2004 ACLU Applauds Hawai’i Supreme Court Decision Protecting The Hawai’i State Constitution (3/19/2004) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai`i (ACLU of Hawai`i) today hailed a decision by the Hawai’i Supreme Court that protects the Hawai`i Constitution from unwarranted amendments. February 2004 ACLU Supports Taxi Company President Against SLAPP Suit Which Violates First Amendment (2/18/2004) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Hawai'i Supreme Court to support an individual for speaking out against alleged abuses in the Honolulu International Airport taxi concession. The ACLU argues that such a lawsuit ­ commonly referred to as a SLAPP suit ­ violates the First Amendment by punishing individuals petitioning the government to remedy illegal activities. This is the first time a SLAPP suit is being challenged in Hawai'i courts. Hawai’i Juvenile Justice Project - Public Forum to Address Youth Facility Overcrowding (2/11/2004) Honolulu - The Hawai’i Juvenile Justice Project is holding a public forum on March 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Blaisdell Center to address the problem of overcrowding and other problems at the Hawai’i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF). National juvenile justice experts Sue Burrell of the Youth Law Center and Dan Macallair of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice will be joined by local speakers (in formation). The forum is co-sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. January 2004 Hawai'i Juvenile Justice Project Started to Address Youth Facility Overcrowding (1/5/2004) Honolulu - A statewide network of community and government groups have formed the Hawai'i Juvenile Justice Project to address the problem of overcrowding at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility. They are holding an informational meeting with with legislators tomorrow at 12:45 p.m. at the State Capitol room 329. December 2003 ACLU Announces Tom Gill Scholar For Public High School Students(12/08/03) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai‘i announced today the establishment of the Thomas P. Gill Scholar which will be awarded annually to a public high school student in Hawai‘i to work on legislative issues. October 2003 ACLU Meeting in Honoka'a to Address Community Issues(10/28/03) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i invites supporters and the general public to a meeting in Honoka'a next month to discuss issues of concern to Big Island residents. ACLU Fights to Protect Juvenile Identities (10/17/2003) Honolulu – The ACLU of Hawai‘i yesterday filed its objections in response to another attempt by the UPW to force the return of the group’s former legal director to answer questions about the sources of the ACLU investigation into alleged abuses by guards at the Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility. ACLU Rejects Union Demand for Release of Juvenile Facility Information(10/02/03) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i yesterday filed its response rejecting the United Public Workers' (UPW) demand for documents related to the investigation of the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility and guard abuse of juveniles. The ACLU argues the UPW's actions threaten the safety of the children incarcerated, violates the ACLU's First Amendment rights and infringes on its ability to represent individuals. September 2003 ACLU Calls Union Lawsuit to Stop HYCF Investigation of Guards Harassment (09/26/03) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i today condemned the actions of the union representing prison guards after a hearing before the State Labor Relations Board. UPW wanted to subpoena ACLU's legal director and also force the turn over of documents relating to its investigation of conditions and guard abuse at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF). August 2003 ACLU Wants Reform of Youth Correctional Facility; Calls Governor's New Appointment "Good First Step" (08/26/2003) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai'i today called Governor Lingle's appointment of a new director of the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) a good first step but wants the state to do much more. The appointment was a direct result of a scathing report released to the Governor by the local ACLU. ACLU Weighs in on Transgender Discrimination Lawsuit Before Hawaii Supreme Court (08/14/2003) Honolulu - Outlining a long history of discrimination against transgender people, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Supreme Court of Hawaii to rule that gender identity discrimination is against state law. July 2003 ACLU Files New Suit Over Use Of City’s Family Day Festival To Promote Christianity (07/14/2003) Honolulu - Representing several Honolulu residents and taxpayers, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai`i today filed suit in First Circuit Court against the City and County of Honolulu, Mayor Jeremy Harris, and City Deputy Director Malcolm Tom for using the City’s Family Day Festival to promote fundamentalist Christian religious beliefs and to raise money for fundamentalist religious organizations associated with the Hawaii Christian Coalition. Kalaheo Gay Straight Alliance Wins ACLU Youth Award (07/07/2003) Honolulu - The ACLU of Hawai‘i announced today that two Kalaheo High School seniors who started the state’s first Gay Straight Alliance in the public schools are the recipients of its first Youth Award to promote awareness of civil liberties. Shealea Tindall and Maile Shay-Mountain will share in a $1,000 cash award. Chief Justice Ronald Moon will make the presentation this Saturday in a ceremony at the State Supreme Court. Also recognized will be finalists Ian Tapu of Kahuku High School and Jennifer S. Jung of Moanalua High School. June 2003 ACLU of Hawai’i Files Lawsuit Over Exclusion of Gay Groups From “Family Day” Parade (06/27/2003) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai’i today filed a lawsuit against city and county officials and a local Christian group for conspiring to exclude gay groups from the Family Day Parade scheduled to take place on July 5. May 2003 Honolulu Prosecutor Illegally Used Powers of Office to Campaign for Ballot Initiative, ACLU Lawsuit Charges (05/21/2003) Honolulu - Local prosecutor Peter Carlisle violated city laws as well as the free speech rights of taxpayers when he improperly spent nearly $2,500 in public funds and used other public resources to campaign for the passage of Ballot Question 3 in last year's general election, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai'i charged in a lawsuit filed today. ACLU of Hawaii Sues Over Strip-Search of Female Student; 15-Year-Old Accused of $30 Theft Was Stripped Totally Bare (05/13/2003) Honolulu - The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai’i today filed a lawsuit against officials at a public charter school in Pahoa over the strip-search of a 15-year-old girl who was made to stand completely naked after she was accused of stealing $30. January 2003 Religious Student Code At Mckinley High School A Relic Of The Past Under Court Settlement (1/28/2003) Honolulu - Parties announced a settlement in Federal District Court today of a lawsuit over McKinley High School's code of honor which required "love for God." The lawsuit was filed last year by the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai'i (ACLU) on behalf of public school student James Ornellas challenging the constitutionality of McKinley High School's code of honor

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