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The ACLU of Tennessee stands up for equality, fairness and justice in the courts. Through our impact litigation and other legal advocacy, we’re fighting for you. ACLU’s legal advocacy in Tennessee spans from the historic Scopes “Monkey Trial” and representation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the sanitation workers’ march in Memphis, to ensuring access to private prison records, protecting families’ religious freedom rights, advocating for gay and lesbian parents who were denied visitation with their children, defending voters’ right to have their ballots counted, and much more. You can learn more about specific cases below.
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Aug 18, 2015
Rebecca Young v. Giles County Board of Education, et al.
LGBTQ+ Equality
(No. 1:15-cv-00107, United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Columbia Division, District Judge Kevin H. Sharp)
ACLU-TN Cooperating Attorney: Mark J....
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Apr 23, 2015
Protecting the Free Speech of Williamson County Educators
In September 2014, several Hillsboro School educators met after school hours and off of school grounds to discuss the school board, its actions and statements, and the then recent school board election...
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Mar 10, 2015
Protecting Student from Choosing Between Religion and Scholarship
Religious Freedom
When a Washington County high school student was told that attending a religious worship service would jeopardize his chance to apply for a Tennessee Promise scholarship, ACLU-TN stepped in to protect his...
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Jan 27, 2015
Ensuring Access to Attorneys for Youth Charged with Truancy
Criminal Legal Reform
The Lawyers Education Advocacy Project (LEAP) is a Knoxville nonprofit whose mission is to provide pro bono legal advice and representation to children charged with truancy in Knox County and pro bono legal...
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Oct 27, 2014
Free Speech, Social Media and Williamson County Schools
Privacy, Surveillance and Technology
In September 2014, ACLU-TN joined with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to oppose a Williamson County Board of Education (WCBE) policy that regulates off-campus speech on social media and allows the...
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Oct 9, 2014
Abramson et. al. v. Dreyzehner et. al.
(No. 3:14-cv-1959, Jude Haynes/Bryant, United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division)
ACLU-TN Cooperating Attorneys: Carolyn W. Schott...