News & Commentary

Dear Senator Daines,

Superintendent Elsie ArntzenMontana Office of Public Instruction

Statement from Caitlin Borgmann, Executive Director of the ACLU of Montana:

By Caitlin Borgmann, ACLU of Montana Executive Director, and Brian Hauss, ACLU Center for Liberty Staff AttorneyRepublican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska had it right: “If the First Amendment means anything, it means you can’t body-slam a journalist.”Sadly, that lesson seems to be lost on some of Sen. Sasse’s colleagues. On Wednesday, Greg Gianforte was charged with assaulting a Guardian reporter while campaigning for Montana’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Yesterday, he won that seat, and he’ll now also be charged with defending the Constitution and its promise of ensuring a free and vibrant press.The reporter, Ben Jacobs, approached Gianforte at a campaign rally in Bozeman with a question about the Congressional Budget Office’s assessment of the American Health Care Act. Gianforte, who has been

"The ACLU of Montana condemns in the strongest terms yesterday’s apparent assault on reporter Ben Jacobs for doing his job on behalf of the public. Without a free press, government at all levels – from presidents to police officers – would rarely be held accountable to the people. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of the press, a right which was borne from our Constitutional framers’ desire to hold those in power accountable to the voters. This is one of our democracy’s core principles. Journalists have been responsible for uncovering some of the most egregious behavior by government officials in our history, from McCarthy seeking to penalize political views to Nixon tampering with a national election. If any government officials elected in this state attempt to stifle the free press, the ACLU of Montana will see them in court.”

The movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline or, on social media #NoDAPL, has been a Native-led, organized effort. Indigenous activists, lawyers, and media have taken to social media so make people aware of the civil rights violations happening under the watchful eye of the North Dakota Governor and the Morton County Police Department.Although #NoDAPL is miles away in another state, Montanans feel very passionate in showing solidarity with them. Here are a few events that ACLU of Montana has been involved in:In October, in partnership with The Montana Racial Equity Project based in Bozeman, we organized “Montana Stands with Standing Rock,” an event at the Headwaters of the Missouri River. Indigenous leaders prayed and blessed the headwaters and Indigenous activists and community le

The movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline or, on social media #NoDAPL, has been a Native-led, organized effort. Indigenous activists, lawyers, and media have taken to social media so make people aware of the civil rights violations happening under the watchful eye of the North Dakota Governor and the Morton County Police Department.Although #NoDAPL is miles away in another state, Montanans feel very passionate in showing solidarity with them. Here are a few events that ACLU of Montana has been involved in:In October, in partnership with The Montana Racial Equity Project based in Bozeman, we organized “Montana Stands with Standing Rock,” an event at the Headwaters of the Missouri River. Indigenous leaders prayed and blessed the headwaters and Indigenous activists and community le

A recent incident at Park High School in Livingston, in which students flew Confederate flags from their trucks shortly after a black student enrolled, offers an opportunity to reflect on the extent of students’ right to engage in offensive speech at school.