A Brief History of the Wyoming National Chapter:

1940's:
Wyoming's involvement with the ACLU began in the 1940's when individual ACLU members began informal meetings in Casper, Wyoming.

1960's:
By the late 1960's, a chapter had organized around the practice of "preventive detention" of alleged biker gang members by the local law enforcement. It continued as a self-styled jail watchdog.

1970's:
A formal chapter was organized in Laramie in the early 1970's, with litigation assistance provided by the Rocky Mountain States ACLU office in Denver.

1990's:
In 1997, a staff position was funded and a statewide Board was created. In addition to prison and jail issues, a number of First Amendment cases have been successfully litigated and membership has increasingly grown.

2000-Present
Through litigation, legislation, and public education the Wyoming Chapter of the ACLU works to preserve civil liberties in the state of Wyoming. With growing membership and enthusiasm from around the state, the Wyoming ACLU is active in a myriad of different ways, such as lobbying the Wyoming Legislature, protecting voter’s rights, and keeping our prison and jails accountable. To see more on the recent activities of the Wyoming Chapter, please click here.”   

Staff:

Executive Director:
Linda Burt has served as the Director for ten years. She is a graduate of the University of Wyoming Law School. She was previously Executive Director of Legal Services of Southeastern Wyoming, Inc., held a private practice and worked for the Public Defenders office.

Staff Attorney:
Jennifer Horvath started in 2007 as the first staff attorney at the Wyoming Chapter of the ACLU. Previously, she worked for seven years at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, in both the trial and appellate divisions. She is a graduate of University of North Carolina School of Law.

Administrative Assistant:
Ryan E. Frost is the newest member of the ACLU of Wyoming Chapter’s office. He holds degrees in history and political science from the University of Wyoming.

Contacting us:

The ACLU of Wyoming is able to provide legal representation in a limited number of civil liberties cases. If you are interested in requesting legal assistance from the ACLU of Wyoming, please read this information on the kinds of cases we accept.

If you believe your case may be the kind of case we accept, fill out our online questionnaire. If we need more information, we will call you. We will let you know as soon as possible whether we can accept your case, although there may be some delay because of our limited resources

If you decide to download the Complaint Form (PDF), please send it to:

ACLU of Wyoming
P.O. Box 20706
Cheyenne, WY 82003

Please be sure to include your full name, address, telephone number, email and a full description of your complaint.

There are many cases and problems of unfairness and injustice which we are simply unable to handle. We receive many requests for assistance each month; therefore, we cannot accept all of the complaints that fall within our guidelines. We must select those which we believe will have the greatest impact on protecting civil liberties. Read more >>>

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