Press Releases

U.S. Department of Justice Reaches Settlement with Lewiston Public Schools to End Discriminatory Use of Shortened School Days

A complaint filed by Maine civil rights organizations initiated the DOJ investigation

Major Drug Reform Bill, LD 967, Moves onto House Floor

Five members of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee support the passage of a bill that would end criminal penalties for minor drug possession.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

Bill Regulating Government Use of Facial Recognition Moves Out of Committee with Unanimous Support

Maine is on its way to becoming the first state in the nation to regulate the use of facial recognition technology by public officials.
Issue Areas: Privacy

Maine Lawmakers Consider Major Drug Reform Bill, as Advocates and Health Experts Rally in Support 

Advocates, including lawmakers, doctors, harm reduction service providers and people in recovery, are testifying at today’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee hearing in support of LD 967, a bill that would end criminal penalties for minor drug possession and offer a pathway to recovery.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

ACLU of Maine Statement on Derek Chauvin Verdict

While today’s verdict is a step forward in the fight for police accountability and may help heal a grieving community, the systems that allowed a police officer to murder Mr. Floyd remain fully intact. The fight for justice by no means ends with this guilty verdict.
Issue Areas: Racial Justice

Immigrant Rights Groups Sue ICE for Information about Detention Activities in Maine

The ACLU of Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) and the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic (RHRC) at the University of Maine School of Law are suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for information about its detention activities in Maine.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights

Committee Votes to Move Forward with Implementing Racial Impact Statements

After receiving overwhelming public support, LD 2 – a bill that creates a mechanism to implement the use of racial impact statements during the legislative process – is moving forward in the Legislature.
Issue Areas: Racial Justice

ACLU of Maine Statement on Piscataquis County Commissioners' Deliberate Violation of Maine's Open Meeting Law

Piscataquis County Commissioners violated Maine's open meeting law when they wrote and adopted a resolution in secret, and went on to silence critical voices and block remote attendees from hearing the commissioners' meeting.

ACLU of Maine Urges Mills Administration to Prioritize COVID-19 Vaccine for Incarcerated People

The ACLU of Maine is urging the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prioritize prisons, jails and detention facilities in its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.