BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Join us in Sioux Falls on January 11 for a practical, people-centered Citizen Lobbying Training designed to help you influence state and local policy, engage directly with your lawmakers, and find your voice in the halls of power. Register here!

Anti-abortion politicians will stop at nothing until they've made abortion inaccessible nationwide—including the promotion of junk science and bogus legal investigations in attempts to discredit the safety, effectiveness, and availability of medication abortion.

Today, the federal civil rights trial against the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City is set to begin. The case stems from the hotel's blatantly racist denial of services to Native Americans beginning in 2022.

FACT: The governor can't prevent you from sharing abortion information in South Dakota. #FreeSpeech

As we head into another year defending South Dakotans' rights and pushing for legislation that helps our communities thrive, we need you with us. Develop your skills as an advocate through our virtual Citizen Lobbying Training on Dec. 13. Register at action.aclu.org/webform/sd-citizen-lobbying-2025

Sioux Falls residents: City leaders have said we're not going to have helicopters circling our city, circling our community. But that's exactly what we've seen, and we don't know why. Ask our city leaders to demand truth and transparency regarding Operation Prairie Thunder.

Calling all college students! We're hiring a communications intern to spend the spring semester with us. Details and application info here: www.aclu.org/careers/inte...

What the National Guard is supposed to do: 🔵Aid in disaster relief 🔵Respond to domestic emergencies 🔵Train for overseas combat

Hours before the South Dakota Legislature voted to approve the new prison, Speaker of the House Jon Hansen attempted to use transgender South Dakotans as pawns to grow opposition for the project by “uncovering” that inmates have a right to gender-affirming care while in custody of the DOC.

VICTORY: We recently became aware that Spearfish's ordinances violated First Amendment freedoms by requiring a permit to protest in public spaces. After we reached out to the city council, they have amended the ordinance and although there is still work to be done, this is a victory for free speech!

Expanding inmate rehabilitation programs shouldn't be contingent on whether or not lawmakers approve a $650 million prison. Even if the prison project doesn't pass, South Dakota needs smart criminal justice reform now.

The right to vote is the fundamental right on which all other civil liberties rest. On this National Voter Registration Day, take time to register to vote or confirm your voter registration at vote.gov.

An investigation by The Dakota Scout revealed that the number of drug arrests reported during the first deployment of Operation Prairie Thunder was egregiously inflated. When resources are being diverted to fund a so-called "public safety" campaign, South Dakotans are entitled to full transparency.

Just us reminiscing on last week's Pints and Politics event in Rapid City! 🎉 Thank you for joining us for craft brews and conversations surrounding threats to free speech. We were truly inspired by the passion in the room, and we will continue to defend all South Dakotans from government overreach.

The President has demonstrated his willingness to use our military against our country’s own people. Gov. Rhoden is empowering this extraordinary abuse of power instead of keeping our troops at home where they’re needed.

Can humor help us make sense of unprecedented threats to our civil liberties? That's the question W. Kamau Bell and Mo Fry Pasic explore in this week's episode of the At Liberty podcast. www.aclu.org/podcast/live...

We have a free drink for the first 50 who RSVP to our Pints & Politics event in Rapid City! Let’s talk about threats to free speech, get to know each other, and build the collective power we need to protect our rights in South Dakota. 🍻 aclusd.org/pints

As students head back to school this fall, remember this; Classroom censorship doesn't help students learn — it keeps them from being able to ask important questions and freely discuss the history, viewpoints, and ideas of all communities in this country.

There are real people affected by every policy passed by our legislators. I just wish more of them remembered that. This is why I do the work that I do.

Surveillance cameras are no longer just recording our comings and goings — they're using AI to decide whether we should be reported to law enforcement. An algorithm can't be trusted to determine who is a threat.

Anti-trans legislation permanently impacts real South Dakotans. Not only are transgender residents suppressed by these laws, but their communities lose business owners, neighbors and friends when they're forced to leave as a result.

The state is essentially forcing public assistance applicants to avoid registering to vote if they want their application to remain private, the ACLU said.

As the Trump administration continues to attack the press, we investigate how a historic civil rights-era Supreme Court case defended journalistic freedom.

Up next on the We the People blog series is Sarah Parkin, our new Digital Communications Associate! Read what Sarah had to say about her experiences and how they shaped her passion for human rights and civil liberties.

📣 A free press is at the core of a free society!

Welcome, Sarah! Sarah's skills in multimedia production combined with her background in journalism and nonprofit communications made her a natural fit for the digital communications associate role at the ACLU of South Dakota, and we couldn't be happier to have her on our team!

We're in the fight of our lifetime to defend our civil rights. Let's discuss the recent Supreme Court term and where we go from here. Join us at 4 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. MT tomorrow: www.youtube.com/live/oGcVlEB...

If the Senate passes President Trump's budget bill, millions of us will lose access to critical health care services. Our lives and communities are on the line. Tell Sens. Thune and Rounds: Protect Medicaid at all costs. action.aclu.org/send-message...

New podcast alert! We asked trans rights activists how they’re navigating President Trump’s escalating abuses of power and how they’re finding joy this Pride month. Hear their answers on the latest episode of At Liberty: www.aclu.org/podcast/who-...

Our state's "tough on crime" policies have led to more arrests and increased costs while disregarding real people’s lives. It's time to embrace a smart justice vision of our criminal legal system. Prioritize people, not prisons.

Today’s ruling is a devastating loss for transgender people and our families, and an affront to the Constitution. We'll continue to fight alongside trans youth in Tennessee and across the nation for the health care they deserve.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court ruled Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth can remain in effect. This is devastating for trans people and our families but doesn’t end our work against President Trump’s attacks on trans people and our health care.

Planning to protest? Know your rights.

Communities nationwide are taking to the streets on June 14 to tell the Trump administration: We won't stay quiet when our freedoms are under attack. Will we see you out there?

🛑 KNOW YOUR RIGHTS 🛑 You have rights. In today’s climate, it's more important than ever to know how to protect them.

Due process is not an option, it’s a right - whether President Trump likes it or not.

Same, Sioux Falls driver. Same.

South Dakota, we love ya. #605Day

You have the right to be visible, loud, and boldly you.

HAPPENING TONIGHT! We're training legal observer volunteers to help us monitor and document ICE raids and other immigration enforcement activities. Will you join us? Details and registration info below:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem couldn't define habeas corpus - but you can.

Pride is celebratory! 🎉 Pride is colorful! 🌈 Pride is inclusive! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤 Pride is supportive! 👏🏾 Pride is (still) protest! 📣 Pride is how we show our love and support for the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit community in South Dakota. What does Pride mean to you?

For years due process has protected us from unfair, unlawful and unequal treatment. But what is due process? Why do we all have a stake in defending it? If you've got questions, we've got answers.

Getting trained as a legal observer is simple – and one of the best ways you can help uphold the constitutional rights of immigrants in South Dakota. Join us for our virtual training on June 4. Details and registration info 👇

We the people means ALL the people.

Absolutely right. South Dakota leaders face a clear moral choice: Will they be complicit in ICE’s cruel, ineffective system—or stand with their communities?

The federal government has indicated that mass deportations are a priority for the current administration. However, what the federal government wants is not what’s best for South Dakota. 🧵 1/2

President Trump is committed to his goal of carrying out mass deportations. While Trump is happy to act on his own to sow terror in immigrant communities, he's equally eager to make state and local governments do his dirty work, including by expanding the notorious 287(g) program. 🧵 1/2

“We encourage local control and support the right of local law enforcement to put the needs of their communities first by declining to participate in unnecessary, voluntary immigration enforcement.”

FACT CHECK: Habeas corpus is the centuries-old legal procedure that protects AGAINST unlawful imprisonment, and is a crucial part of our fundamental right to due process.