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January 12: The board of school district voted to adopt a proposed settlement agreement that would put an end to the district’s pervasive practice of school-sponsored prayer, preaching and religious activities aimed at students. The agreement will also resolve a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and the ACLU of South Carolina on behalf of a student and his father.
The district has done the right thing by acknowledging that school officials cannot use their positions of influence to persuade students to devote themselves to one particular religion.
September 22. The ACLU of South Carolina received complaints regarding a serious constitutional violation that occurred at New Heights Middle School in Jefferson, South Carolina, on September 1, 2011. Several local residents notified the ACLU of South Carolina that the school held a religious assembly for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders featuring an evangelist and a Christian rapper and encouraged them to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts.
Press Release: Chesterfield County religious pep rally violates Constitution>
The ACLU of South Carolina called on the Chesterfield County School District to launch an immediate investigation of this event and to ensure that school officials do not repeat their unlawful activities in the future.
ACLU Freedom of Information Act Request: Religious Activities at Chesterfield County Schools >>
On December 5, the ACLUand the ACLU of South Carolina filed a lawsuit challenging the pervasive practice of school-sponsored prayer, preaching and religious activities in the Chesterfield County School District. News, Blog and Legal Documents
South Carolina Jail Agrees to End Unconstitutional Censorship
 January 10: Officials at a South Carolina jail agreed to stop barring prisoners from accessing books, magazines, newspapers and other periodicals as part of an agreement to settle an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit.
Jail officials in Berkeley County also agreed to no longer enforce a policy banning any publication bound with staples and a policy banning materials containing any level of nudity, which a jail mailroom officer said would include newspapers with lingerie advertisements or magazines containing pictures of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.
Read the full press release >>
ACLU and Civil Rights Coalition File Lawsuit Against South Carolina's Anti-Immigrant Law
Federal Court Blocks Major Parts of South Carolina's Anti-Immigrant Law/ Decision Is a Setback to National Effort to Pass Anti-Immigrant Laws
December 22, A federal district court today blocked major parts of South Carolina’s anti-immigrant law from going into effect January 1 after ACLU and partners in a civil rights coalition recently argued the law is unconstitutional, interferes with federal laws and would cause great harm if implemented. The court found that major sections of the law, SB 20, were likely to be found unconstitutional, including those mandating that police demand “papers” in virtually all traffic stops, make it a crime to transport and harbor undocumented immigrants and criminalize the failure to carry “papers” at all times.
Press Release: Federal Court Blocks Major Parts of South Carolina Anti-Immigrant Law >>
The Decision >>
Press Release: ACLU and Civil Rights Coalition Ask Court to Block South Carolina’s Anti-Immigrant Law >>
On October 12, The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against South Carolina’s anti-immigrant law, charging it is unconstitutional, invites racial profiling and interferes with federal law. The suit was filed two weeks after a similar anti-immigrant law went into effect in Alabama, where families have been afraid to leave their homes and individuals have been stopped and questioned about their immigration status.
On October 31, the federal government moved to block implementation of South Carolina's strict new immigration law, saying its provisions are unconstitutional and interfere with the nation's powers to set and enforce immigration policy.
The ACLU will stand up for the civil rights and liberties of all residents of South Carolina. Under this extreme bill, police are required to demand "papers" from people they stop whom they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S.
Racial profiling laws have devastating effects on families and communities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can help bring this to an end by immediately making clear that no one will be detained or deported who is brought to their attention by unconstitutional state racial profiling.
Tell Secretary Napolitano: DHS Should Fight Against Racial Profiling Laws >>
Class-Action Lawsuit Filed in the Wake of Crisis in Alabama as a Result of Similar State Immigration Law >>
ACLU Leads Federal Immigration Lawsuit With Charleston County Focus >>
ACLU Immigrant Rights Project Legal Analysis of the law >>
The True Face of Voter Photo ID
On May 18, Governor Nikki Haley signed one of the most restrictive voter identification laws in the nation. This law has the potential to deny the right to vote to thousands of registered voters who, in many instances, cannot obtain the limited forms of identification the law requires. The law impedes access to the polls and is at odds with the fundamental right to vote.
On August 5, the ACLU, as part of a coalition of civil rights and advocacy groups, urged the Department of Justice to block implementation of a South Carolina law that would suppress the minority vote. The 15-page letter cites recent census data showing that African-Americans are less likely than whites to possess a driver’s license or other DMV-issued identification, one of the approved forms of identification. They also face social and economic barriers to obtaining acceptable forms of identification required by the new law.
8/5/2011 Letter to the Department of Justice >>
8/29/2011 Press Release: Department of Justice ruling on SC Voter photo ID law shows that the state has not proved it will not discriminate against minority voter >>
On December 7, in an eight-page letter, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law, has again asked the U. S. Department of Justice to block this law. Comment Letter, News, Blogs
On December 23, the Department of Justice blocked SC’s Voter ID Law, helping to ensure thousands of eligible voters will be able to exercise their right to vote. Read the DOJ's letter >>
Because South Carolina has a sad history of discrimination, it is required under the federal Voting Rights Act to have any changes in its voting laws approved by the Department of Justice or a federal court in Washington. “The SC Voter ID law shows why the Voting Rights Act is still needed to combat voter suppression.” said Katie O’Connor, a staff attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project.
If you are concerned that you or someone you know will be unable to vote because of the new Voter ID requirement, please complete our SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER ID QUESTIONNAIRE and return it to us.
More information on SC's Voter Photo ID Law >>
ACLU Calls on South Carolina to End Discriminatory Segregation of Prisoners with HIV
Read more >>
ACLU's New Report Highlighting Ways to Reduce State Budgets and Prison Populations
Smart Reform Is Possible: States Reducing Incarceration Rates and Costs While Protecting Communities details how several states with long histories of being “tough on crime” have enacted bipartisan reforms relying on alternatives to incarceration, underscoring that reform is politically and fiscally viable. Read more >>
Nationwide Information Request on Government Cell Phone Tracking
The ACLU of South Carolina joined 33 other American Civil Liberties Union affiliates across the nation in seeking information from law enforcement agencies about when, why and how they are using cellphone location data to track local residents. Read more >>
Turner v. Rogers: A Decision from the Supreme Court of the United States
Is an indigent parent facing imprisonment for failure to pay child support entitled to appointed counsel?
Read more >>
Don't Filter Me!
ACLU Demands Schools Stop Unconstitutional Web Filtering of LGBT ContentRead more >>
ACLU Lawsuit Charges That Jail Policy Banning Books and Magazines Is UnconstitutionalRead more >>
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