ACLU CASE ON BEHALF OF UNFAIRLY DETAINED MUSLIM MAN CURRENTLY IN SETTLEMENT TALKS
6.26.08
Abdullah al-Kidd
The ACLU National Office, in conjunction with the state affiliate, initiated a lawsuit last fall on behalf of a Muslim man who was unfairly detained and mistreated at the Oklahoma Federal Transfer Center during March of 2003. The case of Al-Kidd v. Sugrue was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma to vindicate the rights of plaintiff Abdullah al-Kidd following harsh treatment he received while in custody at a facility supervised by defendant Warden John Sugrue.
The lawsuit is currently in settlement talks. This development follows a ruling favorable to the plaintiff by the federal judge in the case.
Al-Kidd, an African-American native of the United States, converted to Islam while he was in college. His parents, siblings, wife and child were all born in the United States. The FBI had contacted him several months prior to his detention in order to investigate a case in which al-Kidd was not a suspect but a potential material witness.
Having booked a round-trip, coach-class ticket to Saudi Arabia to further his studies at a well known university there, al-Kidd was humiliatingly arrested by FBI agents in front of numerous onlookers at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. on March More >
ACLU SUPPORTS MUSLIM COUPLE’S RIGHT TO WEAR RELIGIOUS ATTIRE
6.26.08
Malik and Minimah Muhammad
The ACLU of Oklahoma was contacted this spring by Malik and Minimah Muhammad, a Muslim couple involved in a case being handled in Oklahoma County District Court. In accordance with sincerely held religious beliefs. Mr. Muhammad wears a skull cap known as a Kufi. Similarly, Mrs. Muhammed wears a head scarf known as a Hijab. During a routine appearance in court, an Oklahoma County Judge ordered Mr. and Mrs. Muhammed to remove their religious attire.
ACLU of Oklahoma Staff Attorney Tina Izadi met with the Muhammads and communicated with their attorney in the case before the District Court. She prepared a motion regarding their religious liberty interests that would be ready to file if another judge ordered them to remove their religious garb. She attended courtroom proceedings with them on May 18 and June 2. Both these appearances occurred without incident.
Tina Izadi
Izadi continued her vigilance on behalf of these clients until their matter in the District Court was settled. The Muhammads case concluded without further infringement on their religious liberty. Izadi then sent the District Presiding Judge a letter to request that deference be accorded to religious attire by the Oklahoma County District Court.
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GOVERNOR HENRY’S VETO OF ABORTION BILL IS VICTIM OF LEGISLATIVE OVERRIDE
6.26.08
Governor Brad Henry issued a veto of Senate Bill 1878, an Omnibus Anti-Abortion Bill on the evening of Wednesday April 16, 2008. The Oklahoma State Senate voted 37-11 to override the veto on Thursday, April 17, 2008. Less than an hour later, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 81-15 to override.
Among the worst of the provisions of the new law are the following:
It requires doctors to perform vaginal ultrasounds prior to every abortion procedure. Patients have no choice in the matter. Oklahoma is currently state with such a law.
A woman’s right to receive urgent medical treatment would be impeded at a hospital if an employee refused to treat her based on moral or religious grounds.
A woman’s right to receive an non-surgical abortion using medication can be restricted by limiting a doctor’s ability to administer the drug and hampering the physician’s discretion to determine appropriate medical care. This non-surgical method of terminating early pregnancy has been proven to be both safe and effective.
The ACLU of Oklahoma was successful at urging many people contact Governor Henry to urge his veto of Senate Bill 1878. In addition, the ACLU sent hundreds of letters to constituents in targeted legislative districts asking constituents to contact More >
VOTER ID BILL FAILS IN OKLAHOMA SENATE
6.26.08
Senate Bill 1150 failed to garner the 25 votes needed on May 14, 2008 to require Oklahomans to provide proof of identity in order to vote. SB 1150, authored by Senator John Ford, would have required Oklahomans to provide a photo ID, bank statement, government check, or pay check the next time they went to the polls. The ACLU of Oklahoma praised those senators who voted against a voter ID bill.
“Voting is a fundamental right that should be exercised without unnecessary burdens,” said ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director Joann Bell. “We are grateful to the Senators who understand that requiring proof of identity is essentially requiring Oklahomans to pay to vote.”
The failure of SB 1150 comes on the heels of the US Supreme Court decision upholding Indiana’s voter ID requirement.
“We have incidents of eligible Indiana voters who were unable to vote because of lack of proper identification in that state’s primary,” said ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director C.S. Thornton. “According to reports, elderly nuns, a college student who had an out of state driver’s license, a newly married woman whose last name did not match the name on her registration were all eligible voters and were all turned away for More >
TEN COMMANDMENTS APPEAL ARGUED BEFORE TENTH CIRCUIT
6.26.08
The appeal of a 2006 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma to retain a Ten Commandments monument on the Haskell County Courthouse lawn was argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver Colorado on October 4, 2007. Daniel Mach, Director of Litigation for the National ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, presented the oral argument to the Tenth Circuit. He was advised by Micheal Salem, an ACLU of Oklahoma cooperating attorney who handled the case at the District Court trial with former ACLU of Oklahoma Staff Attorney Tina Izadi.
The ACLU of Oklahoma originally filed the case on behalf of plaintiff James W. Green, who objected to the placement of the Ten Commandments monument on the lawn of the Haskell County Courthouse in Stigler, Oklahoma. Stigler resident Sharon Nichols acted as the representative on behalf of the ACLU of Oklahoma membership. The judge at the District Court dismissed the controversy as a “kerfuffle” and ruled that the monument was not erected by the County with a religious purpose. The case is Green v. Board of Commissioners of the County of Haskell.
