Press Releases

A Message from Advocates for Maine LGBTQ+ Youth

All youth in Maine should be safe at school, including LGBTQ+ youth. This ought to be obvious. So we are all deeply disappointed to see that playbooks used in other states that fearmonger about transgender young people in our communities have made their way to Maine.

Governor Mills Signs Good Samaritan Expansion into Law

Advocates say LD 1862 is one of the strongest Good Samaritan laws in the country.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

ACLU of Maine Statement on Leaked Draft Supreme Court Opinion

Abortion is still legal in Maine, regardless of the leaked draft opinion.
Issue Areas: Reproductive Freedom

State Agrees to Return Unemployment Benefits Seized from Incarcerated Workers 

The class action settlement also recognizes that incarcerated people have a constitutionally protected property interest in their prison accounts.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

Governor Mills Will Not Veto Amended Good Samaritan Expansion 

Recovery advocates and Governor Janet Mills have reached an agreement to expand Maine’s Good Samaritan law.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

Maine House Fails to Advance Bill to Promote Civil Liberties on Roadways

The Maine House has failed to advance a modest bill that would have promoted racial justice and civil liberties on Maine's roadways by decriminalizing minor traffic violations.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

ACLU of Maine and MSEA-SEIU Reach First Contract

The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine and the Maine Service Employees Association-Service Employees Union Local 1989 (MSEA-SEIU) have reached their first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) representing ACLU employees in the state.

Report: Boston Asylum Office Violates Rights of Asylum Seekers

The report "Lives in Limbo: How the Boston Asylum Office Fails Asylum Seekers" finds the Boston Asylum Office fosters a culture of distrust toward asylum seekers, which violates their due process rights and the United States’ legal obligations.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights

ACLU of Maine and MECEP Report Calls for Drug Decriminalization in Maine

A new report by the ACLU of Maine and Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) details the enormous social and economic costs of criminalizing people who use drugs. The report's central recommendation is to decriminalize drugs.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform