From holding police accountable to defending voting rights, 2024 was a busy year! Here's a quick look at how we showed up to defend civil rights in Mississippi this year, and a sneak peek at how we plan to continue the fight in 2025.
Along with our advocacy, legislative, and public education work, litigation remains one of the fundamental tools with which the ACLU of Mississippi fights for equality and civil rights. See below for more information on the cases we've brought to the courts.
In February 1977, the ACLU filed a class action suit charging the state with illegal surveillance of its citizens and demanding the files be opened. Thus began the twenty-one-year-long battle in the courts...
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Oct 28, 2021
Abraham House of God v. City of Horn Lake
Religious Freedom
Status: Victory!
Horn Lake officials unlawfully denied zoning approval for a proposed mosque due to anti-Muslim bias, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties...
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Apr 22, 2021
Jones v. Mississippi (amicus brief)
Criminal Justice Reform
Status: Lost
The ACLU of Mississippi joined an amicus brief in opposition to a recent Mississippi state court decision that contradicted decisions made by the United States Supreme Court.
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Aug 26, 2020
Crawford v. Hinds County Board of Supervisors (amicus brief)
The ACLU of Mississippi joined six other state advocacy organizations and nine national advocacy organizations in an amicus brief advocating for an open and accessible judicial system for Americans with...
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Aug 11, 2020
Oppenheim v. Watson
Voting Rights
Status: Won
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Mississippi, and Mississippi Center for Justice filed a lawsuit on August 11, 2020, seeking to ensure that absentee voting is more accessible to Mississippians...
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Jul 31, 2020
Rash v. Lafayette County
Freedom of Speech
Status: Victory!
The ACLU of Mississippi, the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and attorney Jack Williams filed a lawsuit against Lafayette County, MS, on behalf of John Rash, a documentary filmmaker,...