Blog of Rights

Laura W.
Murphy

“Fixing” Citizens United Will Break the Constitution

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 7:21pm

Originally posted on The Huffington Post.

In “Fixing Citizens United,” Professor Geoffrey Stone—usually a friend to the First Amendment—argues for a constitutional amendment to “fix” the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. Professor Stone mentions the proposal rather offhandedly, but the idea is a nuclear option. A constitutional amendment—specifically an amendment limiting the right to political speech—would fundamentally “break” the Constitution and endanger civil rights and civil liberties for generations.

A Mother’s Story: It Is Not What We Say to Black Boys and Men, It Is What We Do to Them

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 9:36pm

I feel deeply for Travyon’s mother; she’s living my worst fear.

ACLU Joins in Briefing Members of Congress on the Implications of Arizona v. U.S.

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:19pm

Today we let federal lawmakers know that Arizona’s racial profiling law, S.B. 1070, is about much more than just the state of Arizona and its immigrants. It’s about how we see ourselves as a nation.

A Tribute to My Warrior Brother, John A. Payton

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:04pm

I'm incredibly saddened by the passing of John A. Payton, head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). Our nation has lost a brilliant warrior for justice, and I've lost a dear friend and colleague in the movement.

I first had the pleasure to meet John during the Clinton era. What I most remember about him is his great respect for humanity, his intensity in using the law to achieve justice and his unparalleled love for his wife.

Let's March On: Protecting the Right to Vote in 2012

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:33pm

Today marks the 47th anniversary of the fateful march from Selma to Montgomery, which began with the horrors of Bloody Sunday, and concluded with a rally and speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., only days after President Lyndon B. Johnson submitted the Voting Rights Act to Congress.

As I prepare to join Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil and human rights leaders on the steps of the Capitol in Montgomery today to commemorate that historic march, I am reminded of both where we've been as a nation and how great the need is, in the words of Dr. King, to keep marching on. The greatest legacy of the civil rights movement — access to the ballot — is in jeopardy across the country.

LGBT Rights: A Matter of Fairness

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 6:17pm

Earlier this week, Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post wrote a column outlining why he thinks African-Americans should embrace gay rights, specifically the freedom for committed and loving gay and lesbian couples to marry.

As an African-American woman who has been active in my support for the LGBT community for decades — both with the ACLU and outside the organization — it comes down to the very basic truth that for equality to have real meaning, fairness and equal treatment under the law must extend to everyone. This is what informed ACLU fights against discriminatory laws like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and DOMA that I helped to lead in the 1990s in the organization's Washington Legislative Office. Importantly, it is also what the struggle for the freedom to marry is rooted in.

A Legacy of Civil Rights Is at Risk

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:48pm

A growing number of states have enacted laws that will suppress voting, yet the minority community has uttered little protest

President Obama: Veto Indefinite Detention

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:03pm

As I write this, the Defense Authorization bill is on its way to President Obama's desk. The bill contains dangerous, sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provisions.

Leading members of Congress have already indicated that they believe that these provisions could be used by this and any future president to indefinitely detain people without charge or trial — even American citizens and others picked up within the borders of the United States.

The Right to Vote: Let's Not Forget Where We've Been and How Far We Need to Go

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:36pm

Despite the progress our country has made since the passage of the Voting Rights Act, voter suppression tactics remain a serious threat to the right to vote.

Don't Open the Door to Torture

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:03pm

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) is pursuing a deeply misguided effort that threatens to reopen the door to torture.

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