MISSOULA, Montana, May 21 -- The American Civil Liberties Union, a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following news release on May 20: A Montana court has issued a temporary restraining order blocking a state law that severely restricts Native Americans' right to vote. The action means the law is blocked pending the outcome of a hearing scheduled for May 29. The primary is June  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, May 29 -- The Center for Biological Diversity issued the following news release: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit today left in place a district court decision blocking a key water crossing permit for Keystone XL and other oil and gas pipelines while a full appeal of the decision moves forward. In April the U.S. District Court in Montana ruled that the Trump administration's Army Corps of Engineers violated the Endangered Species Act when it issued Natio  more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- The Center for Education Reform issued the following news release: A decision in the case Espinoza vs. Montana Department of Revenue is expected within the next 30 days and could fundamentally alter education governance in the US. At issue is the constitutionality of Montana's Blaine Amendment, one of 37, that was enacted explicitly to discriminate against Catholics in the 1800s, in favor of protestant-influenced public schools. The effect is that states that wish to enact  more

WASHINGTON, May 25 -- The Free Press issued the following news release: On Friday, Politico reported that the House of Representatives would vote on a key amendment to the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act. The amendment was offered in the Senate by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Steve Daines (R-Montana) but fell just one vote short of being included in the legislation when the Reauthorization Act passed that chamber on May 14. The Senate did include a separate amendment offered by Sens. Patrick  more