ACLU of Wisconsin

08/06/2026

Police in Wisconsin reportedly used license plate camera data to track a man’s repeated trips to Michigan — where recreational ma*****na is legal — and then used those cross-state drives as part of the probable cause to search his car for w**d, according to court records reviewed by 404 Media.

Officers used Flock cameras to determine that Edward Abrams-Phillips “travels to Michigan frequently” before monitoring him, the records say. After he returned to Wisconsin, deputies pulled him over, searched his vehicle, and arrested him on ma*****na possession charges.

Abrams-Phillips legally purchased ma*****na in Michigan, but bringing it back into Wisconsin — where possession is still illegal — led to his arrest. The criminal complaint says officers viewed Michigan as a “known source state for ma*****na.”

The case raises bigger questions about how states could use increasingly sophisticated surveillance tech to crack down on nonviolent offenses.

08/06/2026

ICYMI: After being improperly denied bond hearings in immigration court, hundreds of ICE detainees in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana can now seek bond hearings and release from indefinite detention.

The ruling could allow hundreds of immigrants in Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois to seek bond hearings after long stays in mandatory detention.

08/05/2026

On this day 65 years ago, Milwaukee gay bar patrons resisted anti-LGBTQ+ violence in what became known as the Black Nite Brawl, a precursor to Stonewall.

Source: Wild Project
Photo credit: Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project

08/04/2026

We are deeply concerned about reports of mass arrests and unnecessary use of force by Madison law enforcement as officers dismantled an encampment assembled by community members calling for justice for Corey Ruiz.

We stand with the Madison community as they grieve, seek justice, and try to heal. The multigenerational wound of police killing Corey Ruiz not far from where Tony Robinson was fatally shot by police in 2015 cannot be swept away by disappearing the encampment.

MADISON – ACLU of WI Executive Director Dr. Melinda Q. Brennan issued the following statement after Madison Police cleared an encampment dedicated to Corey Ruiz, who was fatally shot on July 22 by the Madison Police Department, leading to mass arrests and injuries.

08/04/2026

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08/04/2026

Wisconsin is making national news because so many police officers have been charged or convicted with using the Flock surveillance network to stalk people.

Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.

08/04/2026

If your rights are violated, document everything.

08/02/2026

Advocates and local officials from across the political spectrum have helped push cities across the U.S. to terminate their contracts with Flock.

Learn more about Flock and what you can push for in your own community:

Here’s how you can stop or limit the use of Flock’s ALPR mass surveillance technology in your neighborhood

08/01/2026

On August 5, 2026 at 6.30 pm come join us for a virtual recap of the 2025-2026 Wisconsin Legislative Session. Knowledge is power, and you deserve to have all of it.

Click the link below to register:

https://www.aclu-wi.org/event/2025-26-legislative-session-recap/

07/31/2026

The lawsuit argues that Wisconsin’s requirement that transgender people undergo surgery before correcting the s*x marker on a birth certificate violates the state Constitution’s guarantees of equality, privacy and personal autonomy.

🔗 Read here: https://ourliveswisconsin.com/article/aclu-sues-wisconsin-over-surgery-requirement-for-trans-birth-certificate-changes/