Posted on 10/06/2008 4:30:52 AM PDT by marktwain
ACLU Director of Communications Brandon Hensler says the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida received an early victory today when Senior Federal Judge Lacey A. Collier denied the ATF’s motions for summary judgment in Kilpatrick v. U.S.
The ACLU filed the case on April 18, 2006, on behalf of Karen J. Kilpatrick, who claimed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) violated her Free Speech rights.
Kilpatrick was driving her blue van in Pensacola on April 19, 2004, with the slogans “Remember the Children of Waco” and “Boo ATF” written on some of the windows when she was pulled over by police for questioning by the ATF.
The ACLU argues in the lawsuit that her First Amendment Rights to Free Speech and her Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure were violated when officers detained her for an hour, searched her car without consent, and ordered her to remove the writing on the side of her van.
“The ATF’s actions were unconstitutional and there was no legal justification to stop and question Ms. Kilpatrick. We believe that the ATF was trying to silence Ms. Kilpatrick and the 911 call substantiates this position,” said Bert Oram, ACLU cooperating counsel.
“We are confident that we can win this case once the facts are demonstrated and we are pleased that we will be able to make our case in court,” he says.
Counsel for Kilpatrick v. The United States of America are Bert Oram, ACLU cooperating attorney; and Benjamin Stevenson, ACLU of Florida staff attorney in Pensacola.
There are times when the ACLU serves a good purpose. This is one of them.
A broken clock is right once a day, this is that time.
What were the numbers. About 80 of the persons killed were less than or about one year old as I recall. There also were a lot of foreigners killed which we never heard about.
But there are hundreds of other legal firms in the nation that would have taken on a case such as this, as well.
The ACLU has no good reason to exist in its current form, and, for all intents and purposes, at taxpayer expense.
(Remember Waco)
While we're at it, abolish UCLA as subversive.
Kind of scary that the lawyers at the ATF even try to defend this one. Wonder what the legal concept is they think is in favor of jack booted thugs...
These ‘no brainer’ cases give the ACLU cover. They are more for propaganda purposes than actual support of the constitution.
This is nothing more than a token in an attempt to deflect the ACLU’s critics.
While we’re at it, abolish UCLA as subversive.
ACORN wants to be included.
In some parts of the country it's even right twice a day. :-)
Military time! The ACLU is never right twice a day IMHO.
LOL! Good point.
win or lose the ACLU is guaranteed the attorney fees BY STATUTE.
They don’t care about second amendment rights. They ONLY care about generating lawyer fees.
It is not one of those times. Institutions that are devoted to destroying American never serve a good purpose.
The simple purpose of this lawsuit is to gain public support so that they can continue on with their anti-American lawsuits.
They do these cases from time to time to seduce people into writing favorable things like you did. This is the equivalent of Hitler making the trains run on time, and we all know how that turned out
Aw crap, now they’ve gone and done it, making me cheer for the ACLU. Must be the blind pig / truffle rule or something.
Now. What to do about our failed congressrats.
Let's abolish them as well. We'd not be any worse off than we are now.
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