News & Commentary

CoreCivic has offered Montana a $30 million cash kickback in exchange for a ten-year contract renewal. This national for-profit corporation is leveraging our budget crisis to entrench itself in Montana’s criminal justice system and deepen its profit margins. Montana legislators need to take responsibility to come up with real solutions, including raising revenue, rather than giving in to a quick-fix remedy that only feeds corporate greed and will hurt Montana in the long run.If the name “CoreCivic” is not familia

The ACLU of Montana vehemently denounces CoreCivic’s $30 million inducement to the Bullock administration in exchange for renewing the contract of Montana’s only private prison for the next ten years. CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America and best known for violating the rights and dignity of prisoners across the country, is blatantly seeking to take advantage of a state government in a budget crisis.

These Montanans  have stepped forward with bravery and authenticity to challenge I-183. They come from all walks of life. They are mechanics and lawyers, college students and community organizers, parents and pastors. What unites them is an abiding love for the Big Sky State and a commitment that all Montanans are deserving of safety, dignity, and privacy. 

The ACLU of Montana and the Montana Racial Equity Project stand in support of members of the American Indian Caucus’s call to remove Helena’s Confederate memorial fountain.

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

I started my military career two years after President Obama made the long overdue decision to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy in 2010.

On Wednesday, August 2nd, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Audemio Orozco-Ramirez, the victim of a sexual assault that occurred in ICE custody in October 2013. From the time of his arrest until last night, Audemio’s location was unknown. His family and lawyer did not know if he was in ICE custody in Billings or on his way to Utah for deportation. Late last night, his deportation order was temporarily blocked – giving an intermediary sense of justice for Audemio and his family. 

When Montana voters approved CI-116 in 2016, they had no idea that the initiative jeopardizes some of our most cherished Constitutional protections.  The following list provides examples of why CI-116 is wrong for victims, and wrong for 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