News & Commentary

Last week the Supreme Court declared state marriage bans to be unconstitutional, in a historic win for equality. The ACLU of South Dakota hosted a pop-up celebration in downtown Sioux Falls for the landmark win for marriage equality.

The ACLU has a long history of defending the rights of the LGBT community on a local and national level.

The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal lawsuit challenging a South Dakota law that moved the deadline for new political parties striving for a place on the 2016 ballot.The lawsuit, filed on behalf of South Dakota's Libertarian Party and Constitution Party, challenges a section of the law that shifted the deadline for new parties to submit declarations to participate in primary elections backward by four weeks from the last Tuesday in March prior to the date of the primary election to the first Tuesday in March. The plaintiffs are asking the deadline be set for no earlier than March 29 for a party that wants to participate in South Dakotas primary election, and August 1 for a party that does not need to participate in a primary election. 

By Stephen Pevar, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU

Each year, the South Dakota Legislature convenes in January and works through March crafting, debating, and passing laws governing our state. Throughout its history, the ACLU of South Dakota has kept tabs on the goings-on in Pierre.

16 year old Tyler Brandt’s supervisor required him to wear a name tag labeled “GAYTARD” while he worked at a Taco John’s restaurant in Yankton, South Dakota.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of South Dakota, and co-counsel Stephanie E. Pochop have submitted charges to state and federal agencies against Taco John's of Yankton, Inc. and Taco John's International Inc. The discrimination charges were filed on behalf of Tyler Brandt, a 16-year-old employee who was forced to wear a "Gaytard" name tag while working.