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ACLU To Open Office In South Dakota (09/09/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it will open a new office in South Dakota, enabling a significant expansion of its work on civil liberties in the state. Robert Doody, a longtime advocate of American Indians' rights who has extensive experience in tribal, state and federal courts as well as nonprofit management, will lead the South Dakota National Chapter as Executive Director beginning October 7.

ACLU Wins Historic Agreement in South Dakota Voting Rights Case (12/04/2007)
LAKE ANDES, SD – In a historic agreement reached today with the American Civil Liberties Union, a South Dakota county has agreed to federal supervision of its elections through 2024. The settlement resolves a 2005 ACLU lawsuit charging Charles Mix County with discriminating against Native American voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

Native American Families and Winner School District Announce Settlement in Case Alleging Discrimination (06/18/2007)
WINNER, SD - The Winner/Ideal Native American community and the Winner School District announced today that an agreement has been reached to settle a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of Native American students attending Winner schools.

Federal Court Orders South Dakota to Comply with Voting Rights Act (08/19/2005)
RAPID CITY, SD-The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that a federal court in South Dakota has issued a final ruling ordering the redrawing of legislative district lines to ensure there is no discrimination against Native American voters in 13 of the state's 66 counties. The order came in a case originally brought by the ACLU on behalf of four Native American voters in December 2001, after the South Dakota legislature redrew the boundaries of the state's 35 legislative districts.

District Court Ruling in Quiver v. Nelson (07/14/2005)

Three-Judge Panel Rules Unanimously in Favor of Native American Voters in South Dakota (07/14/2005)
RAPID CITY, SD -- The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that a panel of three federal court judges has issued an injunction against the state of South Dakota, ruling unanimously that state officials must comply with the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) and obtain prior approval from the Department of Justice before implementing a new law that the judges say ""gives the appearance of a rushed attempt to circumvent the VRA.""

South Dakota Schools Discriminating Against Native American Students, Charge ACLU and Tribe (06/23/2005)
WASHINGTON -- In a complaint filed today with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of 14 Native American families, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Attorney General of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe charge that the public school district in Winner, South Dakota discriminates against Native American children in its disciplinary practices and denies these students their right to equal educational opportunities.

ACLU Charges South Dakota County Blocking Native Americans from Holding Public Office (01/27/2005)
CHARLES MIX COUNTY, SD--The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal lawsuit charging the Charles Mix County Commission with violating Native American voting rights by using election districts that are unequal in population and divide the Native American community.

Federal Court Rules South Dakota Violated Voting Rights of Native Americans (09/15/2004)
PIERRE, SD-In an historic victory for voting rights, a federal court today ruled that South Dakota violated the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act when it approved a statewide redistricting plan that dilutes the voting power of Native Americans.

ACLU Secures Historic Custody Win for Lesbian Mother (11/14/2003)
BISMARCK, ND -- Unanimously agreeing to allow a lesbian mother to maintain custody of her two children, the North Dakota Supreme Court has struck down a 1981 decision that has been used to deny lesbian and gay parents custody of their children solely because of their sexual orientation. By reversing its earlier decision, the Court ruled that possible prejudice from others is not a valid reason to take children from lesbian and gay parents.

ACLU of the Dakotas Challenges Districting Scheme That Prevents Native Americans From Holding Office (03/20/2003)
BUFFALO COUNTY, SD-In a blatant violation of the ""one person, one vote"" principle, the county commission here has for years maintained district lines that intentionally dilute the voting strength of Native American voters by more than 20 times what the Constitution allows, the American Civil Liberties Union today charged in a federal lawsuit.

Following ACLU Lawsuit on Behalf of Native Americans, SD Officials Agree to Fair School Board Elections (03/18/2003)
RAPID CITY, SD--The American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project today announced a court-approved settlement of a lawsuit with a school district whose "at-large" system for school board elections discriminated against members of the Native American community.

South Dakota Settles Largest-Ever Voting Rights Lawsuit Brought by ACLU on Behalf of Native Americans (11/07/2002)
RAPID CITY, SD--After nearly 30 years of ignoring a federal law meant to protect Native Americans from voting discrimination, state and county officials here have agreed to obtain Justice Department approval of more than 600 statutes and regulations that affect elections in the state, the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project announced today.

Don't Let Government Intimidation Keep You From the Polls, ACLU Tells Native American Voters in South Dakota (10/30/2002)
ATLANTA--The Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of the Dakotas is urging all eligible Native Americans to vote on November 5 despite attempts by South Dakota officials to intimidate them.

ACLU Files Largest-Ever Voting Rights Lawsuit on Behalf of Native Americans in South Dakota (08/05/2002)
RAPID CITY, SD--Saying that state officials have for nearly 30 years ignored a federal law meant to protect minorities from voting discrimination, the American Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit on behalf of four Native Americans against state and local officials for failing to obtain Justice Department approval of more than 600 statutes and regulations that affect voting and elections in the state.

South Dakota School Officials Terrorized Kindergarten Classes with Drug-Sniffing Dogs, ACLU Charges (07/25/2002)
SIOUX FALLS, SD--The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of 17 Native American students - some as young as six years old - who were terrorized when public school officials and law enforcement officers brought in a German Shepherd to conduct a suspicionless drug sweep of all K-12 classrooms. One of the plaintiffs in the case, Jonathan Heth, 2nd grade

ACLU Congratulates People of North Dakota For Defending Their Privacy (06/12/2002)
NEW YORK--The American Civil Liberties Union today congratulated the people of North Dakota for defending their privacy by rejecting a ballot measure that would have allowed banks to share customers' information without their permission. 

ACLU Urges Calm and Caution, Warns Against Witch-Hunt In Escalating South Dakota HIV Transmission Investigations (05/03/2002)
SIOUX FALLS, SD -- As 18-year university student Nikko Biteramos of Huron faces several counts of having sex without disclosing that he has HIV -- and with an Aberdeen man set to appear in court today facing similar charges -- the American Civil Liberties Union today said state officials and the public should proceed with concern, calm and caution.