News & Commentary

Today, the ACLU of Hawaii submitted an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in the case of Kahle v. Villaflor in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.

The ACLU remains very concerned about the measure’s true intent to target Hawaii’s homeless individuals because of their homelessness.  The ACLU will monitor how the new law is enforced, including any attempt to use this new law to curtail 1st Amendment rights to free speech and/or assembly.

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Baldwin High School Girls Softball Team, March 2010The Baldwin High School Girls’ Softball Team should be practicing on its new field by the start of the 2012 season – right on schedule!  The State has made substantial progress on construction of the new field, which was negotiated as part of a settlement agreement with the State and Mau

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that Maui Police Department officers used excessive force in "Tasing" a woman who had called MPD for help with a domestic dispute.  The Court similarly ruled that Seattle police used unconstitutionally excessive force by using a Taser on a pregnant woman whose crime was refusing to sign a speeding ticket.  The Court ruled that Tasers constitute "intermediate" force and that Taser use was improper (under the plaintiffs' version of events) because the two women posed no threat to any of the police officers.  The ACLU of Hawaii and the ACLU of Washington State submitted two amicus curiae ("friend of the court") letters; the ACLU's letters, and the Court's decision, are below.