Climate Defense Project

Court says state cannot prosecute tribal citizen for cannabis charge on tribal lands The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the state cannot prosecute Todd Thompson, a White Earth Band of Ojibwe tribal member, for possession of cannabis on tribal land.

“In cases where Native people have to go to court to fight and argue their rights, you’re always left with the question of whether you are going to be prosecuted, even though you have the right to do these things,” says Todd Thompson. This time, Thompson won. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

The unfathomable Minnesota transcript that must be read, as it tells the reality of America today "I am not white, as you can see," Julie Le — a government lawyer — told a federal judge on Tuesday. "And my family's at risk as any other people that might get picked up too ..."

An inside look at how the ICE surge in Minneapolis is straining courts (with remarks by CDP's Kira Kelley): www.lawdork.com/p/the-minnes...

Coalition Statement on ICE Killings — Protect the Protest The Protect The Protest Coalition grieves the killings of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti, the shootings in Portland, and the ongoing deaths of people in ICE custody. These are not isolated...

As a coalition, Protect the Protest demands systems that prioritize life over punishment, compassion over cruelty, and justice over silence.

An attack on one of us is an attack on us all.

We won’t let state violence paralyze us or this movement. We rise and we are stronger together.

BREAKING: We're proud to join 230+ groups to call on Congress to stop the approval and construction of new data centers. With huge impacts on water, climate, electricity bills and more, it's time to put the brakes on the unregulated data center frenzy: https://fwwat.ch/44bzr1R

Defending Dissent: How Activists Are Beating Back “Lawfare” Attacks on the Palestine Movement — Protect the Protest From campus crackdowns to courtroom intimidation, recent legal victories mark a turning point for free speech and protest rights in the U.S. Two Years of Retaliation and Resilience Palestinian righ...

Palestinian rights advocates are winning in court, despite attempts to silence, smear, and criminalize them.

Judges across the US are reaffirming what we already knew: speaking out for Palestinian freedom is protected political expression.

Read our overview of some of these victories. ✊🇵🇸

Noncooperation Library - Freedom Trainers

Preparedness isn't everything; civil society orgs should also familiarize themselves with principles of noncooperation. Learn more here: freedomtrainers.net/noncooperati...

2025 Vermont Civil Rights Summit hosted on Whova November 14 – 16, 2025, Randolph, VT

CDP's Kira Kelley will be a featured speaker at the Vermont Human Rights Commission’s 2025 Civil Rights Summit, where they will join other advocates and community leaders to talk about strategies for the protection of Vermonters' civil rights. Register by 10/31 at hrc.vermont.gov/2025-civil-r....

NLG is receiving more and more verified reports of federal agent door-knocks and contacts. If you are approached by federal law enforcement, don’t be afraid to alert your community!

Judge Finds Attorney General Can't Bring RICO Charges in Cop City Case - UNICORN RIOT Atlanta, GA — A Fulton County judge found Tuesday that Georgia’s attorney general lacked authority to bring racketeering charges against protesters named in the sprawling Cop City RICO case, calling i...

In 2023, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr brought a far-reaching RICO indictment against dozens of opponents of Atlanta’s recently built Public Safety Training Center, more commonly known as Cop City.

Last week a judge found the case must be mostly, or entirely, dismissed on procedural grounds:

US pipeline protester’s obstruction conviction overturned by appeals court New trial for Mylene Vialard after Minnesota judges find ‘pervasive’ prosecutorial misconduct in Line 3 protest case

Congratulations, Mylene! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Thank you Kristen Stilt @harvardanimallaw.bsky.social‬, ‪@animal-justice.bsky.social,‬ @climatedefense.bsky.social‬, animal law scholars,
‪@nonhumanrights.bsky.social,‬ @ccrjustice.org @aclu-norcal.bsky.social, @nlgnews.bsky.social docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Statement: The Militarization of L.A. Marks an Unprecedented Assault on Constitutional Rights — Protect the Protest We are witnessing an historic and dangerous escalation in the federal government’s attack on immigrant communities and on the right to protest in the United States, with the militarization of a major ...

www.protecttheprotest.org/stories/stat...

#ProtectProtest #LAProtests #StandUpFightBack

Today two animal welfare organizations filed a petition in Minnesota court for a search warrant and law enforcement investigation into Jennie-O Turkey Farms. CDP’s Kira Kelley assisted the effort. climatedefenseproject.org/wp-content/u...

Judge rules Minnesota can prosecute marijuana crimes on reservations even after legalization • Minnesota Reformer A Minnesota district court judge ruled that the state may prosecute Native Americans on most reservations for possessing large amounts of marijuana, allowing a felony case against a White Earth man to...

“Exercising my rights should not be controversial or complicated. But once again, the state has failed to respect our sovereignty, our constitution, our own rule of law that has existed since long before the state of Minnesota even existed,” Thompson said. minnesotareformer.com/2025/03/13/j...

BREAKING: Case Dismissed Against Anishinaabe Wild Rice Harvester - Climate Defense Project A Minnesota judge dismissed criminal charges against an Anishinaabe Water Protector today for allegedly harvesting manoomin, or wild rice, in an illegal manner.

Success! Case dismissed against Anishinaabe wild rice harvester in Minnesota. Read the press release here:
climatedefenseproject.org/breaking-cas...