News & Commentary

"We are united in solidarity with all of the communities across the country reeling from the murders of Black people by police, namely George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, David McAtee, among many others. And we know that too many of these murders happen without public awareness, when they are not caught on video or reported by the media. Police violence occurs too often against Black people. Murder and other forms of violence against Black people by police in this country must end. The systemic targeting and use of force against this community must end. White supremacy must end. We uplift the Black Lives Matter movement.As people across the country exercise their constitutionally protected right to protest, those protests have too often been met with a brutal and militarized police resistance that has resulted in even more violence.As a nation, we must reimagine the role for police, including a significant reduction in the responsibilities and presence of police in the communities most impacted by law enforcement and the criminal legal process. We must instead reinvest funding in communities, especially those communities that are targeted by police. As Montanans join protests against police killings and for racial justice, we call on police across Montana to take seriously their role in ensuring the safety of those exercising their fundamental right."

Yellowstone County District Court has issued a temporary restraining order blocking a state law that severely restricts Indigenous people’s right to vote. The action means the law is blocked pending the outcome of a hearing scheduled for May 29. The primary is June 2.

I’ve worked with the ACLU of Montana for nearly 11 years, and have read heart-wrenching intake complaints from across state for years.  But, what I’m reading from incarcerated people and their families in response to COVID-19 is about as heart-wrenching and unjust as I have ever seen.

The ACLU of Montana sent right-to-know requests to the Department of Corrections, the Governor’s Office, and the Board of Pardons and Parole, along with Gallatin County Pre-Release Center, Lewis and Clark County Jail, and Butte County Jail.  These public records requests seek information regarding testing and preventive measures undertaken by state and local agencies to address the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Governor's directive on COVID-19 and the criminal legal system is too late, and far too little.

Disability Rights Montana today filed an emergency petition asking the Montana Supreme Court to take immediate action to benefit prisoners with disabilities by reducing the number of people who are now in or who will enter Montana’s jails and prisons. The ACLU of Montana, together with the Beck, Amsden and Stalpes law firm filed the petition on behalf of Disability Rights Montana.

Today, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in favor of Agustin Ramon, who was held by the Lincoln County Detention Center pursuant to a federal immigration detainer.  The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of Montana, ACLU, and Border Crossing Law Firm, effectively ends the ability of state and local police and sheriffs in Montana to hold people based on federal immigration detainers. 

The ACLU of Montana contacted Governor Bullock and Montana Department of Corrections Director Michael last week urging them to develop plans to protect some of Montana’s most vulnerable population from COVID-19 – the people in our prisons and jails, and those involved in the criminal justice system. Today, the organization, along with partner organizations, urged the Governor, Director Michael, and representatives from every part of the criminal legal system to prioritize releasing people who are vulnerable and, as much as possible, end new incarcerations, revocations from supervision, and other activities that make social distancing impossible. Read the letter.

On March 12, we sent a letter to Governor Bullock and the Director of the Montana Department of Corrections, Reginald Michael, urging them to immediately develop evidence-based and proactive plans for the prevention and management of COVID-19 in the Montana Department of Corrections and county jails in Montana.