On Christmas Eve 2004, thirteen year-old Francisco De Luna’s father diedunexpectedly of a heart attack. Less than five months later, Francisco was introduced to the Texas criminal justice system for the first time. His crime? According to the narrative attached to his ticket, he had a defiant attitude toward school officials and “did not want to learn.” Really? After enduring a family tragedy, Francisco started acting out, as many kids do when trying to cope with such a loss. During the next two and a half years, Francisco received a dozen more criminal tickets for wearing baggy pants, cursing, and refusing to follow teacher’s instructions. But instead of recognizing the fragile and sensitive nature of Francisco’s situation, school officials criminalized his behavior. Unfortunately, Francisco’s case is not unique to Texas, or to the rest of the United States.
Today, the ACLU of Texas released its report (PDF) analyzing the new curriculum standards proposed by the Texas State Board of Education. The report finds the board's ability to insert members' own ideological and religious beliefs into the public school curriculum a "systemic abuse of discretion," and advises the state legislature to check this abuse of power.
Sixty years ago today the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, adopted the draft of what would become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR has since become the foundation of the modern human rights system, or in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt “the international Magna Carta.”
June 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's declaration of a "war on drugs" — a war that has cost roughly a trillion dollars, has produced little to no effect on the supply of or demand for drugs in the United States, and has contributed to making America the world's largest incarcerator. Throughout the month, check back daily for posts about the drug war, its victims and what needs to be done to restore fairness and create effective policy.
Beyond indefinite detention, numerous allegations of torture, and a massively deficient court system created by the Military Commissions Act, the case of Sami al Hajj, an Al Jazeera reporter, adds the prospect of uncovering a new and equally disturbing side of Guantánamo: its use as a mechanism to further silence the the press.
Illustration drawn by Sami al Hajj while detained at Guantánamo.
Today, the ACLU of Texas released its 
