DIYbanter - OT D.C. military-style checkpoints are unconstitutional

yay, score one for the good guys.
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http://pepcj.convio.net/site/PageSer...ename=homepage

Landmark Civil Rights victory:
D.C. military-style checkpoints are unconstitutional

Sixteen months ago, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) filed a
major lawsuit on behalf of residents of Washington, D.C., who had been
stopped in their cars at military-style checkpoints, interrogated by police
and prevented from driving onwards even though they were never suspected of
committing a crime.

Today, we are pleased to announce that the lawsuit has resulted in a major
victory. The U.S. Court of Appeals, in a nearly unanimous decision, upheld
the July 10 ruling of a three-judge panel that declared the military-style
checkpoints to be unconstitutional. The D.C. government and police sought to
overturn that ruling by petitioning for an en banc (full court) re-hearing
of the July 10 decision. That petition has now been denied.

This is a landmark victory. If the government had succeeded in this
unprecedented expansion of police power, it would have become a model in
cities throughout the country. It would have set precedents that would
seriously erode many rights that are cherished by the people of this
country.

The checkpoints not only permitted the police to stop, seize and interrogate
individuals without any probable cause or suspicion of illegal activity. It
was used by the government to collect and aggregate data on the movements,
activities and associations of law-abiding individuals.

This was a hard-won battle-a victory made possible by the commitment of the
plaintiffs and the immense civil rights and civil liberties expertise from
the attorneys at the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund. It was the tireless
work of these attorneys that secured another important victory in defense of
people's essential rights.

The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund undertakes this type of work pro
bono.

The PCJF is a public interest legal organization. It is able to carry out
this invaluable work only with the support of those who believe the
constitution must be upheld.

Please help the PCJF continue and expand its work to defend our basic civil
liberties by making a generous tax-deductible donation today.

Sincerely,

All of us at the Partnership