American Civil Liberties Union

Arizona voters weighed in on eight statewide propositions touching taxes, elections, education and social policy. They rejected Prop 142, which would have tightened restrictions on DEI programs, while approving Prop 316 (capping local grocery taxes), Prop 317 (designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations), Prop 318 (barring transgender athletes from girls' sports in private leagues too) and Prop 319 (requiring voter approval for new photo traffic enforcement cameras). Three measures remained too close to call: Prop 141 (vehicle mileage tax ban), Prop 144 (voter ID requirements) and Prop 320 (mandating school districts spend 60% of budgets on classroom instruction).

The results reflect a mix of conservative wins on cultural and law-enforcement issues alongside rejection of stricter anti-DEI rules, with several close contests still being finalized.

A 1,600-bed ICE detention facility in Appleton, Minnesota is nearing its opening, with buses, vans and new workers' vehicles now visible at the site. The former CoreCivic private prison, closed since 2020, was sold to the federal government for $495.6 million, with CoreCivic retaining a five-year, $75 million-a-year contract to operate it. Local legislators say the facility could bring over 500 jobs, many for former prison staff.

The reopening has drawn sustained opposition from the Prairie Alliance for Human Dignity, a coalition including the ACLU of Minnesota, which has held weekly rallies and prayer vigils since plans surfaced. Organizers cite concerns over detainee treatment and conditions at other ICE facilities, and plan to monitor operations once it opens.

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, have asked the DHS Office of Inspector General to investigate an incident in Hillsboro in which video appears to show an ICE agent slashing a couple's tire. The lawmakers say the couple had been observing and recording ICE agents in a supermarket parking lot on Oct. 7 when several agents in three vehicles boxed them in before puncturing the tire and leaving. They cite a broader pattern of aggressive tactics against observers and reference the death of Alex Pretti in Minnesota during a federal agent encounter. DHS says the incident is under investigation.

A monthslong fight over voter eligibility in Bay Head, New Jersey has concluded with 11 residents voluntarily removed from the borough's rolls, Ocean County election board chairman George Gilmore said. The dispute began when Borough Council President and GOP chairman Dennis Shaning flagged 39 voters whose tax bills were mailed outside town, a list that included only Democrats and unaffiliated voters. The ACLU-NJ sued on behalf of the League of Women Voters, calling the inquiry a politically motivated pre-election purge, but a judge declined to block it. Gilmore said remaining voters on the list will face no challenges at the polls on Election Day.

A proposed amendment to Tennessee's constitution would let judges deny bail in up to 144 additional offense categories, including second-degree murder, terrorism and aggravated rape, expanding on the current exception limited to capital cases. Supporters, including prosecutors and top Republicans, argue it gives judges more tools to protect the public, while opponents like the ACLU of Tennessee warn it erodes protections for the unconvicted and could strain county jails, 21 of which were already at or above capacity as of June. Judges would need to justify denials on the record. Counties spend about $69.20 per inmate daily, though officials expect only a modest rise in detentions.

The South Carolina Arts Commission has been engulfed in controversy after board members moved to deny operating grants to the Greenville Gay Men's Chorus and Proud Mary Theatre Company, citing concerns tied to a Trump executive order on gender identity. The board required only the two LGBTQ+-focused groups to re-prove their artistic merit, later adopting a vague resolution barring funding for work that "promotes any ideology." After months of delay and an accelerated, lightly attended vote, the commission denied both groups' funding on Oct. 1. The ACLU and arts advocates called the process discriminatory. Board chair Flavia Harton and commissioner Russell Parks, who had pushed the policy, both resigned. The commission later also denied a grant to an emerging Mexican-American artist under the same ideology rule.

A year after federal agents raided La Catedral Arena in Wilder, Idaho, detaining 105 people at a horse racing and cultural festival, the operation remains the subject of an ACLU class-action lawsuit alleging Fourth Amendment violations. Advocates say ICE used an FBI gambling warrant as cover for an immigration sweep, deploying armored vehicles, flash-bangs, and rubber bullets against a crowd that included children and U.S. citizens. Of those detained, roughly 75 were reportedly deported and 26 released after habeas petitions. DHS and Idaho's governor defend the raid as lawful. The case, along with related suits over ICE enforcement deaths in Minnesota and Chicago, could shape limits on immigration enforcement tactics nationwide.

Massachusetts has not released required analyses of racial profiling in traffic stops since 2024, officials told a state Senate oversight committee. A 2019 law, passed after negotiations involving the NAACP and ACLU, requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to collect race, age and gender data on cited drivers, which the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) must have analyzed annually by a Massachusetts university or nonprofit. Only two reports have been issued since the law took effect, covering 2020 and 2021-2022 data.

Public Safety Secretary Kwon told lawmakers the requirement lacks dedicated funding, with research bids ranging from roughly $600,000 to $1 million compared to an initial $300,000 contract. She also cited disagreement over data analysis methodology, noting criticism of past reports' approach. Sen. Mark Montigny, who helped write the law, pressed EOPSS to seek additional funding from the Legislature if needed. The ACLU's Katy Naples-Mitchell said independent analysis remains critical given traffic stops are the most common contact point between police and the public. EOPSS says data collection continues and a new solicitation for researchers was issued in May.