吃瓜大本营

This case is about whether people unlawfully incarcerated beyond their mandatory transfer dates under the First Step Act can file habeas corpus petitions seeking their release from prison onto prerelease custody in the community.

This case will determine whether Minnesotans who prove ongoing discrimination by a city government are entitled to a court order blocking that discrimination, or whether Minnesota cities are instead immune from that type of directive. The ACLU鈥檚 SSCI and the ACLU of Minnesota filed an amicus brief arguing that cities are not immune from such a court order. But even if they can be, they shouldn鈥檛 be considered immune from claims brought under Minnesota鈥檚 antidiscrimination statute in light of the statute鈥檚 broad purpose and the Minnesota Constitution鈥檚 guarantee of a remedy for all injuries and wrongs. The outcome of the case could have serious implications for the enforcement of Minnesota鈥檚 civil rights laws.

The Minnesota Supreme Court is poised to decide whether there are any circumstances in which someone subjected to an unconstitutional traffic stop can suppress evidence that he temporarily avoided the police when they initiated the unconstitutional stop. The Minnesota Court of Appeals held that evidence of even temporary 鈥渇light鈥� can never be suppressed鈥攅ven when someone simply delays acquiescing to an unconstitutional traffic stop鈥攐n the theory that fleeing from the police is a crime. The ACLU鈥檚 State Supreme Court Initiative, along with the ACLU of Minnesota and the law firm Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, filed an amicus brief arguing that Article I, Sections 8 and 10 of the Minnesota Constitution鈥攚hich guarantee Minnesotans remedies for constitutional violations and protect them from unreasonable searches and seizures鈥攔equire a broad application of the exclusionary rule. Accordingly, we argue that the Court should use a flexible, multi-factor test that can allow for suppression of evidence where a suspect, as in this case, responds to an illegal stop or seizure with nonviolent attempts to keep himself safe.