News & Commentary

The ACLU of Montana and the ACLU filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Montana Supreme Court arguing that courts must interpret state and federal privacy protections to protect against the disclosure of vast amounts of digital data contained on electronic devices. 

Speakers: The ACLU of Montana Paralegal, Krystal Pickens, Montana Innocence Project Legal Director, Caiti Carpenter, and Welcome Back member and Re-Entry Advocate, Sam LaTray

Read the latest in our Winter 2021 newsletter! Read here as a PDF. 

The ACLU of Montana held a virtual Town Hall to share highlights from the Yellow Kidney v. Office of Public Instruction litigation. Indian Education for All (IEFA)constitutionally mandates that in consultation with tribal nations, the unique and distinct heritages of the state’s tribal nations are included in the public school curriculum. ACLU of MT and the Native American Rights Fund are representing five tribal nations and 18 families challenging the state’s monitoring process for implementation of IEFA to ensure that the mandate is benefitting students as intended.

Read the latest in our Spring 2021 newsletter! Read here as a PDF. 

Law enforcement should be held accountable when their officers abuse their authority to sexually assault the very people they are sworn to protect.

The second Monday of October is dedicated to celebrating the thriving culture and value of Indigenous people in the past, present, and future.  We honor the Bitterroot Salish, Pend d’Oreille, Kootenai, Blackfeet, Chippewa Cree, Little Shell Chippewa, Assiniboine, A’aninin, Fort Peck Dakota/Nakota/Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, Crow, and other Tribal nations who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial.   

Equal access to learning Native American heritage and culture in our education institutions is a racial justice issue — and we’re suing to make sure Montana follows through.

Helena, MT - Beginning in the summer of 2020, hundreds of Helena’s citizens protested the horrific killing of George Floyd and sought meaningful police reform measures in Helena. There was intense community debate regarding school resource officers (SROs) during July’s City Council meeting. Public comment yielded approximately 50% support for the current SRO model and 50% opposition to the current SRO model. Consequently, further discussion at the City Council level was deferred, and a working group was formed to evaluate the SRO issue and consider various perspectives.