The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
UPDATED: Check out the new video "They Can't Turn the Lights Off Now" based on our Photographers' Rights resources!
Taking photographs of things and events that are plainly visible from public spaces is a constitutional right. This is true for both citizen photographers and journalists.
But what are the limits on that right? And what do you do if you are stopped by police? Can police detain you and delete your photographs?
Our new pamphlet "Photographers: Know Your Rights" has the answers to these and other questions about public photography in Florida. Read the guide to find out more.
On Friday, January 27th, the US Senate Judiciary Subcomittee on the Constitution held a field hearing in Tampa on voter suppression tactics in Florida and across the country.
The ACLU of Florida helped organize the coalition of groups participating in the hearing and in events connected with it to raise the profile of voter suppression issues in Florida. A copy of our written testimony to the committee is available here (PDF).
The Occupy movement and other long-term demonstrations have raised a specific set of questions about protesters' First Amendment Rights.
"Is a permit requirement a restriction of First Amendment rights?" "Can we sleep on sidewalks?" "Doesn't government property belong to the people?" These questions and others are answered in Questions and Answers on the Right to Protest (PDF).
