News & Commentary

Campaign materials from Richard Schmidt, a candidate for Milwaukee County Sheriff, used a photograph of a volunteer legal observer with an ACLU branded vest. We wish to clarify that the ACLU is a nonpartisan organization that does not support, oppose or endorse candidates.

It is now official: the Milwaukee police department will undergo sweeping reforms to end its officers’ practice of stopping and frisking people without legal justification and based only on race or ethnicity. For the last decade, tens of thousands of Black and brown Milwaukeeans have been interrupted in their daily lives by police stopping them without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity as required by the Constitution.

Agreement would require Milwaukee to overhaul police department policies, training, supervision, accountability, and community engagement

The ACLU of Wisconsin calls on Governor Walker to withdraw Wisconsin National Guard support of family-separation operations along the U.S.-Mexico border. Several other governors, including Republican governors in Maryland and Massachusetts, have withdrawn their troops in protest against the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the border.The following statement may be attributed to ACLU of Wisconsin executive director Chris Ott:“The treatment of parents and children that has come to light at our border has deeply troubled people across the country and in Wisconsin. We need to bring this to an end, not support it.This makes it hard to understand Governor Walker's decision to send members of the Wisconsin National Guard to assist in this misguided operation. We ask Governor Walker to rethink this, and not to force our troops to participate in such a cruel and controversial program.We also encourage people to call Governor Walker’s office to demand an end to support for family separations. Please call 608-266-1212 between 8am and 5pm.”

The Supreme Court today issued rulings in two partisan gerrymandering cases: Gill v. Whitford and Benisek v. Lamone. The American Civil Liberties Union filed briefs in both cases supporting the challengers to partisan gerrymandering. 

Another video of the Milwaukee Police Department officers involved in the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown was released today, highlighting the officers’ plans to defend their inappropriate treatment of Brown

It can seem like all our troubles started when Donald Trump became President, and certainly, some of them did.But the abuses of immigrants that the ACLU uncovered recently just showed an extreme version of the way that the United States has treated immigrants—or even just people who somebody else thinks is an immigrant—for much too long.The

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin has hired Milwaukee native Sean Wilson as its Smart Justice statewide organizer.  Sean is an activist who grew up in Milwaukee’s 53206 neighborhood.  As a formerly incarcerated person, Sean knows all too well the outcome of poor decisions – and has made a vow to advocate for justice, and also teach young people how to problem solve and create better conditions for themselves.