FLAGSTAFF – An Arizona law that made it a crime to panhandle peacefully in public places was declared unconstitutional today, as was Flagstaff’s practice of arresting, jailing and prosecuting people who asked passersby for money or food.

A federal judge today set down far-reaching requirements to prevent continued racial profiling by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow’s order follows his ruling in May that Arpaio’s office relied on racial profiling and illegal detentions.

PHOENIX – A coalition of immigrant and civil rights organizations today criticized a new Arizona Motor Vehicle Division policy ending the practice of issuing drivers’ licenses to certain immigrants who receive federal authorization to live and work in the United States.

Today, in an effort to remove discrimination from Arizona’s Constitution and win the freedom to marry for all couples in the state, Equality Arizona, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, the Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry launched a campaign called Why Marriage Matters Arizona.

Representative Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona will hold an ad hoc hearing in the border community of Nogales, Ariz., tomorrow.

American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony D. Romero today released the following statement regarding tomorrow's 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona strongly condemns the decision announced yesterday by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to re-try Debra Milke.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that section three of the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act" is unconstitutional and that the federal government cannot discriminate against married lesbian and gay couples for the purposes of determining federal benefits and protections.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today filed a lawsuit on behalf of an elderly Hopi woman who was arrested for begging in Flagstaff and a volunteer-run organization that feeds the hungry, claiming the City of Flagstaff’s effort to rid city streets of beggars is unconstitutional.