The Legal Program handles cases that involve infringements upon constitutional rights and civil liberties. We represent individuals or classes of individuals whose cases will either serve to create new precedent or will result in general system-wide reform in favor of protecting and defending civil liberties.
In other situations, we may not file a lawsuit, but may write letters calling for changes or reforms.
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Oct 6, 2020
Montana v. Morris
Free Speech
Status: Active
Ryan Morris and Troy Nelson falsely claimed in front of Cascade County District Judge Greg Pinski that they were Veterans. Judge Pinski sentenced Morris and Nelson to stand at the Montana Veterans Memorial...
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Apr 1, 2020
Disability Rights Montana v. Board of Pardons and Parole, et al.
Criminal Legal Reform
Status: Decided
This emergency petition calls on the Montana Supreme Court to release non-dangerous prisoners with disabilities and others, limit the number of people taken and in custody, require lower courts to suspend...
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Mar 11, 2020
Western Native Voice v. Stapleton
Indigenous Justice
Status: Active
Montana’s Ballot Interference Prevention Act is unconstitutional.
The ACLU of Montana, Native American Rights Fund and ACLU's lawsuit challenges a Montana law that severely restricts Native Americans...
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Feb 6, 2020
ACLU of Montana v. MT DES and MT DCI
Free Speech
Status: Active
After submitting right to know requests to federal agencies, we submitted similar public records requests to state agencies. Based on unlawfully incomplete responses to our public records requests, we have...
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May 15, 2019
Keefe v. Kirkegard
Criminal Legal Reform
Status: Active
When he was 17 years old, Steven Keefe was sentenced to life without parole for a homicide that he committed as a juvenile. Since his original sentence, the United States Supreme Court has held that...
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Apr 17, 2019
Mitchell and Meuchell vs. First Call, Allegheny Casulty, International Fidelity, and the Montana Civil Assistance Group
Criminal Legal Reform
Status: Victory!
In April of 2017, Eugene Mitchell and his wife Shayleen Meuchell were in bed with their four-year-old daughter when a party of six bounty hunters from the Montana Civil Assistance Group broke down their...