We would like to express our sadness at the passing of Johnnie Cochran. Johnnie's remarkable skill, intellect and commitment made him a giant in the legal and civil rights community. The ACLU was proud to work with Johnnie many times on the pressing need for police reform, police respect for communities of color and civil liberties for all.

As a prosecutor and a defense attorney Johnnie was a tireless and principled advocate for justice, even for the unpopular. Nowhere was this more evident than in the case of Geronimo Pratt, a Black activist unjustly convicted of murder in 1972. Johnnie worked for Pratt's release for close to thirty years. The ACLU was honored to join him in that work and we were all proud that Mr. Pratt's eventual release vindicated Johnnie's belief that lawyers committed to fairness and justice can give voice to the voiceless.

Even before he rose to national prominence with the O.J. Simpson case, Johnnie had established himself as gifted advocate for the dispossessed. His increased profile after that case allowed him to extend the reach of his service across the nation.

Johnnie's integrity and ability won him the praise and respect of attorneys, judges, lawyers and the everyday people in the community whose struggles and concerns he made his own.

Our condolences go out to Johnnie's family. We hope they know of the undying gratitude Johnnie has earned from his colleagues in the civil rights community and from the city and people for whom he did so much. We have all lost a friend today.

LOS ANGELES - Citing concerns that military recruiters target low-income students and students of color on the campuses of public schools in Los Angeles County, a group of teachers, parents, students and the American Civil Liberties Union joined together to demand more information about how the military recruits public school students

A group of Los Angeles public school teachers, students, and parents filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the armed services to determine the criteria by which recruiters target students, the tactics and methods recruiters use, and the information they give to students about military careers.

"We are concerned our students are being targeted and are enlisting without getting accurate and complete information on military service and alternatives," said Arlene Inouye a teacher at Roosevelt High School and member of the Coalition Against Militarism In Our Schools. "We want kids to make the choices they want, but we want them to have information about many future opportunities like college, scholarships and jobs."

The ACLU is concerned by the legal issues relating to military recruiters on school campuses. "First, the public has a right to know how and why recruiters are talking to certain kids at certain schools. Second, parents who want to give balanced information to students getting biased, pro-military information should be able to do so," said Ranjana Natarajan, an ACLU attorney.

The ACLU also sent a strongly-worded letter Tuesday to the Whittier Union High School District on behalf of parent Orlando Terrazas after the district denied Terrazas' request to place flyers titled "Do you Know Enough to Enlist?" alongside military recruitment posters in the hallways of Whittier High School.

"I wanted to get accurate information to students who are swarmed with pro-military messages. Whether or not students enlist, they need to have all the facts, not half the facts, so they can make the right choice," Terrazas said.

Freedom of Information Act requests were also sent to the Air Force, Department of Defense, Marine Corps, National Guard, and Navy.

LOS ANGELES - A San Francisco judge finalized the historic settlement in Williams v. California today. The lawsuit is a critical first step toward ensuring all California public schools have the means to provide equitable learning conditions for all students.

Judge Peter J. Busch commended all parties involved in the case and said it was "valiantly fought."

"I hope it ended up, as I believe it has, to be a benefit for the state and the schools and I hope this is beginning of better days (for public education)," Busch said.

The Williams lawsuit, originally filed in May of 2000, charged the state with reneging on its constitutional obligation to provide students with the bare essentials necessary for education: sufficient instructional materials, adequate learning facilities and qualified teachers.

"This is the final judgment in a truly historic case," said Catherine Lhamon, an attorney for the ACLU of Southern California. "The courage of the students involved will lead to tremendous improvements in our public schools. It is an invaluable first step to improving the educational system in California."

Both the lead plaintiff Eli Williams, who is now a senior at Balboa High School in San Francisco, and his father stood by as the judge finalized the settlement.

"It's an honor to be part of this," said Pastor Sweetie Williams, the plaintiff's father. "After seeing the conditions in my son's school I decided to get involved and it's about time we take a real solution to a real problem."

The settlement also takes steps toward assuring students have qualified teachers and it holds schools accountable for delivering these fundamental elements to students. Additional funding was established to begin to accomplish these goals including: $800 million over four years to make emergency repairs in the lowest performing schools (those ranked in the bottom 3 deciles under the statewide Academic Performance Index [API]); nearly $139 million for new instructional materials for students attending schools in the bottom two API deciles; $20 million to inventory facilities needs in the lowest performing schools and $30 million to build County Superintendents' capacity to oversee low performing schools and fund emergency repairs in those schools next year.