News & Commentary

"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.”

As organizations who work tirelessly to combat racial discrimination in Montana, we share the concerns of the Indigenous community regarding the racially inflammatory costumes and behavior displayed during the Helena Vigilante Day Parade. The perpetuation of Native American stereotypes exemplified by the Buffalo Jump float in the parade is unacceptable. We are calling on the Helena Public Schools administration to review and update their approval policy for floats in order to provide for adequate vetting.

HELENA, MT — The American Civil Liberties Union issued a “travel alert” today informing anyone planning to travel to Texas in the near future to anticipate the possible violation of their constitutional rights when stopped by law enforcement.The alert comes amid the passing of a Texas law known as SB4. The law gives a green light to police offic

Three bills that would ban abortion are still moving through the Montana legislature. The bans in these bills span the pregnancy timeline, showing that the true intent behind all of this legislation is to eliminate abortion as an option for Montana women. Two bills would ban abortion later in pregnancy (one at 20 weeks and another at "near-viability"); the third bill would prohibit not only abortion from all stages of pregnancy but also birth control, emergency treatment for ectopic pregnancies, and more. The scattershot approach and blatant unconstitutionality of all three measures demonstrates supporters’ desire to get anything passed that will make progress toward the ultimate goal of eliminating a woman’s right to determine the course of her own pregnancy.

By Alena Lovi-Borgmann, Interim Communications Coordinator, who has been supporting the ACLU’s legislative work during this session.

Cynthia Wolken (D) is the Montana State Senator for Senate District 48.  She is sponsoring a package of bills this session aimed at criminal justice reform.

Anti-gay extremists are stirring up completely unfounded fears about safety and privacy to justify discrimination against transgender Montanans. This is about more than just bathrooms; bills like HB 609 threaten the safety and dignity of the LGBT community and have no place in Montana.

The outpouring of support for the ACLU since the election has been tremendous.  Both in Montana and nationally, membership numbers are way up.  But don’t let that lull you into a sense of complacency.  Here in Montana, we still need every supporter!

On Saturday, March 4, over 120 people gathered at the Holter Museum of Art in Helena to celebrate the work of Shahid Haque-Hausrath, the award recipient.  The reception was a much-needed break from news of Trump's impending Muslim Ban 2.0.  Caitlin Borgmann, Judge Jeffrey Sherlock, and Wilmot Collins shared a few words about Shahid and the importance of his work.  Shahid also gave a moving speech that reminded us of what is at stake the next four years.  Below are some pictures from the event.