ACLU of Maine

Published
March 20, 2024

ACLU of Maine names new executive director

Molly Curren Rowles will replace Arthur Padilla. Curren Rowles previously led the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine and worked on complex legal issues with Pine Tree Legal Assistance.
Published
March 8, 2024

ACLU’s updated lawsuit challenges legality of holding unrepresented, jailed Mainers

The governor, the attorney general and other state leaders have been included in the amended complaint and have a week to object to being added as defendants in the lawsuit targeting the state's indigent defense system.
Published
February 28, 2024

Federal judge rejects Bangor school’s request to scrap anti-discrimination law ahead of trial

Crosspoint Church accused Maine of discriminating against religious schools whose policies violate the state's Human Rights Act. The state says giving them taxpayer dollars would allow discrimination against students.
Published
February 28, 2024

Judge again rejects settlement, orders trial for ACLU’s suit against Maine’s indigent defense system

Superior Justice Michaela Murphy said a proposed settlement failed to address the elephant in the room – the growing number of low-income criminal defendants in Maine who are waiting weeks and months, sometimes in jail, for court-appointed attorneys.
Published
February 13, 2024

Caribou High School to use fingerprinting to track student attendance

The Maine Chapter of the Maine ACLU criticizes the Aroostook County school district's decision on Tuesday, saying using biometrics to track students raises serious privacy concerns.

Published
December 15, 2023

Judge appears wary of settlement that state, ACLU say could help poor Mainers obtain legal representation

Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy again expressed doubt that a proposed settlement could help more poor Mainers access criminal defense lawyers.
Published
November 28, 2023

State, ACLU say new settlement on indigent legal representation offers more immediate relief

The proposal lays out a four-year plan for more oversight and data collection, but it's not clear that it contains the emergency relief for deprived defendants sought by the Maine judge who must approve the deal.
Published
November 27, 2023

Maine soon could reach another settlement on legal defense for its poorest residents

A judge rejected the first attempt at a deal between the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services and the ACLU of Maine.
Published
November 8, 2023

Waterboro man’s lawsuit against York County deputy could have wider implications for minor arrests

The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine argued before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Monday that Caleb Gaul's 2018 arrest was unreasonable, and a dangerous overreach of police power.
Published
September 15, 2023

Settlement talks expected to continue in lawsuit over state’s indigent defense system

After Justice Michaela Murphy rejected a proposed deal this week, the ACLU says it will continue working on a settlement, but is prepared to go to trial.

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