Blog of Rights

Laura W.
Murphy

The New Jim Crow

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:24pm

(Originally posted on Huffington Post.)

By now, most everyone has heard about Arizona's new law requiring police to demand to see documentation from anyone they stop whom they suspect is in the country illegally. What this really means is that people in Arizona will be forced to "show their papers" simply for looking or sounding "foreign." These draconian police tactics are more than just offensive and discriminatory — they're unconstitutional. The law will result in harassment based on race, appearance, and language, carrying an echo of the Jim Crow South. America has fought too hard against racially divisive policies to allow this law to go forward.

Dr. Dorothy Height Told Us That It's Not a Man's Civil Rights World

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:21pm

Today, a memorial service was held for civil rights pioneer Dorothy Height. Laura Murphy, Director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office, reflects upon Dr. Height's activism.

The passing of Dr. Dorothy Height was a huge loss to the nation, particularly to American women. She inspired me and so many women leaders because she embraced and nurtured her sisters and daughters in the movement. I lost a role model and a mentor who, whenever we met, always clasped my hand in hers, looked me in the eyes and said, "Carry on."

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.

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.

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.

Brinksmanship: The Hidden Threats to Liberty

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:43pm

It isn’t a surprise to anyone that our political system is in crisis, and that in times of crisis, real or imagined, civil liberties are most vulnerable.

Notwithstanding the compromise measure that led to final passage of the debt-ceiling deal Tuesday, the drawn-out debate over the bill  demonstrated the weaknesses in our political institutions. Hardened ideological perspectives from the left and right have made compromise a dirty word, and brought the legislative process to a near-standstill. In a town that measures winners and losers with daily news cycles, there are no winners, not even those who appeared to prevail in the negotiation, despite the partisan backslapping and bickering.

Will Peter King's Hearing Carry Stigma Like Joseph McCarthy's?

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 10:29am

Rep. Peter King is holding a hearing about the “radicalization” of U.S. Muslims and whether they are sufficiently cooperative with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. This may be the first of a series on this subject. But holding a hearing based on a flawed radicalization theory that conflates religious practices with preparation for terrorism and focuses exclusively on Muslim-Americans is misguided, discriminatory and counterproductive.

Thanks for the Shout Out, Mr. Vice President!

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:03pm

Wednesday marks the official start of the new 112th Congress. All of the Representatives and Senators who were elected in November now officially begin their terms in office today. The ACLU welcomes all of the new Members of Congress and looks forward to working with each of them to advance and defend civil liberties and civil rights. As a nonpartisan organization, we are firmly committed to the belief that we have no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. For us, it is all about principle, not partisan politics.

Bending The Arc Towards Justice: Congress Passes Bill Reducing Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:55pm

Nearly a quarter of a century after President Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act resulting in the infamous 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack and cocaine powder offenses the House of Representatives passed the Fair Sentencing Act by a voice vote yesterday with both Democrats and Republicans speaking on the floor in support of the legislation.

New Venue, Same Game: Racial Profiling

By Jasmine Elliott, Washington Legislative Office & Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:22pm

The Arizona immigration law is poised to inflame the already widespread problem of racial profiling in the United States. This law, S.B. 1070, would require law enforcement officers to investigate a person's citizenship status if they think that the person could be in the country unlawfully. This is a clear invitation to racial profiling, and because of this new law, more people will be put into jails and the criminal justice system merely because of their race or ethnicity. When law enforcement is invited to question people based on appearance and without evidence of criminal activity, dire consequences occur.

Statistics image