Blog of Rights

Steve
Gosset
Steve Gosset is manager of media relations. He joined the ACLU from Columbia Law School, where he served as press officer. He has also worked at CBS News as a writer, editor and producer for radio and TV. Steve also served as a reporter at The Record in Hackensack, N.J., The Journal-News in West Nyack, NY, and a reporter and editor for United Press International in Albany, N.Y.
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No Pictures Please: Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Put on Hold

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 7:30pm

In a victory for Pennsylvania voters, a state judge today halted the enforcement of the state’s voter ID law, which threatened to disenfranchise thousands of elderly residents, students, the homeless and communities of color this November. 

Judge Robert Simpson Jr. ruled that he was “not convinced” that the requirement to show photo ID at polling stations would not lead to voter disenfranchisement, as the state had argued.

ACLU Lens: Alabama Governor Signs New Anti-Immigrant Measure into Law

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 11:08pm

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley late Friday signed a measure that makes small changes to the state’s anti-immigrant law. The move came a day after he signaled he might veto the measure because he found two key parts unacceptable, including a "scarlet letter" provision that would have branded many law-abiding immigrants as criminals.

Despite his reservations, Bentley said he signed the measure to “remove the distraction of immigration” from a special session of the Legislature he called this week, and allow what he called “progress made in the legislation to move forward.”

ACLU Lens: Appeals Court Blocks Two Sections of Alabama Anti-Immigrant Law Fought by ACLU

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 3:03pm

Two of the more-pernicious sections of HB56, Alabama's sweeping anti-immigrant law, were blocked this afternoon by a federal appeals court.

ACLU Helps Gawker Shed Light on Christie Meeting with Fox News Chief

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 5:29pm

There’s nothing wrong with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie communicating with Fox News President Roger Ailes. That is, unless Christie wants to hide what he says under the cloak of executive privilege.

And that’s exactly what the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey wants to prevent. ACLU-NJ sued Christie on behalf of the popular blog Gawker. One of its reporters, John Cook, had requested copies in May of any correspondence, calendar entries or phone logs from Christie’s office pertaining to Ailes pursuant to New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act.

ACLU Lens: DHS Shift on Deportation Policy a First Step toward Reform, but Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 10:20am

In an unexpected move, the Obama administration Thursday said it would review deportation cases against 300,000 undocumented immigrants who haven't committed any crimes and pose no threat to national security.

From now on, each case will be looked at individually, and the government will use "prosecutorial discretion" in deciding which cases to pursue. In other words, common sense and fairness may finally be a part of the deportation equation.

ACLU Lens: Justice Department Sues to Block Alabama Immigration Law Previously Challenged by ACLU

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 10:13am

The government has filed a suit against Alabama’s draconian anti-immigrant law, which it said conflicts with federal laws and makes it too easy for police to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally.

Modeled on Arizona’s infamous SB 1070 but taking it to even greater extremes, the Alabama law is considered the most pernicious of a series of state anti-immigrant laws passed this year.

The Justice Department lawsuit filed Monday comes on the heels of a class-action challenge filed last month by the ACLU and a coalition of other civil rights organizations charging the law is unconstitutional on multiple grounds. On July 21, the coalition filed a request that the court block the law from taking effect, pending a final ruling on the law’s constitutionality.

No Prison for Jaywalking Mom, But She Wants a New Trial

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 1:32pm

We told you yesterday about the plight of Raquel Nelson, a suburban Atlanta woman who was convicted of charges connected to the death of her four-year-old son, who was killed last year by a drunk driver as they crossed a street.

Nelson was found guilty of homicide by vehicle, jaywalking and reckless conduct, and faced up to three years in prison, even though the driver in the hit-and-run tragedy only served six months in jail. Fortunately, some common sense prevailed in court yesterday, when state Judge Kathleen Tanksley sentenced Nelson to a year’s probation and community service. Tanksley also took the unusual step of offering Nelson the option of a new trial, which she has accepted in an effort to clear her name. Good for her. Better yet, the state should drop all charges and allow Nelson and her family the opportunity to fully heal from this horrible accident.

ACLU Lens: Get Off My Cloud! Senate Bill Requires Warrants for Government to Spy on Email, Digital Communications

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 5:00pm

The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed an amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Among its provisions, is a requirement that law enforcement agencies obtain a warrant before they can take a peek at your email, private social network posts and other information stored in the cloud.

ECPA would replace legislation dating back to 1986—when the Internet was still taking baby steps and privacy considerations were not paramount. Any way you slice it, it’s an analog measure in a digital world and badly in need of replacement.

Orwell Comes to the Guantanamo Tribunal

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 1:07pm

The government wants to censor any statements the defendants have made about how they’ve been treated while in U.S. custody.

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