Second Episode of The ACLU Freedom Files Premieres Tonight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org

As a New Supreme Court Convenes, Episode Explores the Court’s Impact on Civil Liberties

NEW YORK — As the post-Rehnquist Supreme Court begins its first session, the second episode of The ACLU Freedom Files airs tonight with a look at how the Supreme Court is as vital to our civil liberties as the Constitution itself. Entitled The Supreme Court, the episode premieres at 8:00PM ET/PT on satellite network Link TV. An encore presentation of The Supreme Court will air Thursday, October 27 at 8:00PM ET/PT.

The American Civil Liberties Union and award-winning producer/director Robert Greenwald’s Brave New Films teamed up to produce The ACLU Freedom Files, which explores pressing issues that are threatening the civil liberties of all Americans. It strips away the sound bites to reveal how civil liberties affect real people everyday.

The show will reach millions of viewers via Link TV and will reach additional audiences on college campuses via Zilo TV; on the Web through new media including video blogs, podcasts and streaming video; and in communities via activist events including house parties, community screenings and on DVD.

The Supreme Court tells the story of Lindsay Earls, a teenage girl from Oklahoma, and her family, who stood up for something they believed in and found themselves in the highest court in the country. In 1998, Lindsay was a sophomore at Tecumseh High School, where she was a member of the debate team and performed with the choir. When a mandatory drug-testing policy was instituted for anyone participating in extracurricular activities, Lindsay enlisted the help of the ACLU and fought the order as an invasion of her privacy. The Earls family faced a town full of resistance and nine Supreme Court justices who remain elusive to most Americans.

The Supreme Court gives an insider’s view of the high court and the justices who serve on it. As told by many ACLU attorneys who have argued cases before the Court, we hear personal anecdotes, such as tales of late Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s habit of pacing behind his fellow justices’ chairs during oral arguments.

Last month, the debut episode of The ACLU Freedom Files launched a wave of activism around civil rights issues. More than100 libraries requested copies of Beyond the Patriot Act to screen locally and more than 600 house parties and community screenings took place across the country.

The series is produced and directed by Emmy award-winner Jeremy Kagan and features real ACLU clients and the attorneys who represent them, as well as well-known actors, activists and comedians.

For more information go to www.aclu.tv