Blog of Rights
Meghan
Groob
06/12/2013
Equal Pay

Celebrating Equal Pay (And Bacon!) at the White House

By Meghan Groob, Media Relations Associate, ACLU at 2:59pm

Fifty years ago this week, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in the East Room while surrounded by leaders of the women's rights movement. And on Monday, President Obama celebrated its 50th anniversary with a ceremony in the East Room, and we were lucky enough to be invited.

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02/26/2013
Trayvon Martin

The Legacy of Trayvon Martin

By Meghan Groob, Media Relations Associate, ACLU at 12:14pm

Exactly one year ago today, a 17-year-old boy named Trayvon Martin was gunned down in his quiet Florida suburb in a tragedy that left our country shocked and ashamed. The incident set off a national conversation about racial profiling and the role race played in his death and subsequent police action.

Racial profiling violates the Constitution by denying equal protection under the law, as well as freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Furthermore, the Constitution requires treaties to be treated as the "supreme law of the land," and racial profiling runs afoul of America's human rights treaty obligations.

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03/22/2013
Mandatory Minimum Sentences

Strange Bedfellows Call for Mandatory Minimums Reform

By Meghan Groob, Media Relations Associate, ACLU at 3:11pm

It's a rare day in Washington when Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) agree on anything. So when I heard earlier this week that Paul and Leahy introduced a bill together that gives judges more discretion on mandatory minimum sentences, I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1.

Even in today's hyper-partisan era, it seems there's at least one thing people on both sides of the aisle can agree on: our country's one-size-fits-all sentencing practices just don't make sense.

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02/13/2013
Drug Law Reform

The Marijuana Fight Comes to Congress (Again)

By Meghan Groob, Media Relations Associate, ACLU at 5:03pm

Washington and Colorado made big news on Election Day last year when residents voted to legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana – could the federal government be next? Last week, two bills were introduced in the House of Representatives aimed at resolving the difference between laws in states like Washington and Colorado and federal law.

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04/09/2013
Women's Rights in the Workplace

What Would You Do With $11,000?

By Meghan Groob, Media Relations Associate, ACLU at 4:55pm

Imagine looking at your bank statement and seeing $11,000 more than you expected. If you're anything like me, you would immediately start planning how to spend your newfound riches. Should I be responsible and pay off my debt? Or should I finally take that dream vacation to Paris?

This situation isn't hypothetical. Fifty years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, women, on average, still make just 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. That adds up to nearly $11,000 in lost wages every year.

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02/07/2013
Contraception

ACLU Lens: Contraception Coverage Good for Women but Debate Leads to Bigger Questions

By Meghan Groob, Media Relations Associate, ACLU at 3:04pm

Last week, the Obama administration released a proposed rule implementing the requirement that insurance plans cover birth control...

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