Blog of Rights

Suzanne
Ito

Heller Decision and the Second Amendment

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 3:44pm

So, we've been getting a lot of comments about the ACLU's stance on the Second Amendment. For those of you who didn't catch our response in the blog comments, here it is again:

The ACLU interprets the Second Amendment as a collective right. Therefore, we disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision in D.C. v. Heller. While the decision is a significant and historic reinterpretation of the right to keep and bear arms, the decision leaves many important questions unanswered that will have to be resolved in future litigation, including what regulations are permissible, and which weapons are embraced by the Second Amendment right that the Court has now recognized.

As always, we welcome your comments.

ACLU Argues President Does Not Have Unchecked Authority to Kill You

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 6:30pm

A few weeks ago, the Obama administration filed a brief in response to our lawsuit challenging the president's targeted killing program. In that brief, the Justice Department asserted, among other things, that the president’s targeted killing authority is a “political question” that should not be subject to judicial review. It also invoked the state secrets privilege, arguing that litigating the case would threaten national security. Essentially, the Obama administration asserts the courts should play no role in establishing and enforcing the rules under which the president can kill American citizens whom it unilaterally determines to pose a threat.

Protecting Outrageous, Offensive Speech

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 4:15pm

Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a crucial First Amendment case.

Most people are at least somewhat aware of Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church, notorious for protesting military funerals with its "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" signs. Albert Snyder, the father of slain Iraq war soldier Matthew Snyder, sued Phelps after he protested at Matthew's funeral.

NJ Senator Delivers Prize-Winning Speech Against Death Penalty

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 5:56pm

In a speech delivered before the Memorial de Caen International Human Rights Competition in Caen, France, yesterday, New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak said:

The death penalty is a random act of brutality. Its application throughout the United States is random, depending on where the murder occurred, the race and economic status of who committed the murder, the race and economic status of the person murdered and, of course, the quality of the legal defense.

…The worse damage [the death penalty] does is to a society that believes it needs to seek revenge over redemption.

The need for revenge leads to hate and violence. Redemption opens the door to healing and peace. Revenge slams it shut.

A society that turns its back on redemption commits itself to holding on to anger and a need for vengeance in a quest for fulfillment that can not be met by those destructive emotions. Redemption instead opens the door to the space that asks healing questions in the wake of violence: questions of crime prevention, questions of why some human beings put such a low value on life that they readily take it from others, questions that help us understand how to help those impacted by violence; questions that take a back seat, and are often ignored, when our minds and emotions are filled with a need for revenge.
Lesniak was behind New Jersey's repeal of the death penalty in 2007, and author of The Road to Abolition: How New Jersey Abolished the Death Penalty.

ACLU Lens: American Citizen Anwar Al-Aulaqi Killed Without Judicial Process

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 11:43am

Today in Yemen, U.S. air strikes killed American citizen Anwar Al-Aulaqi. Al-Aulaqi has never been charged with a crime. Last year, the ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights represented Al-Aulaqi's father in a lawsuit challenging the government's asserted authority to carry out "targeted killings" of U.S. citizens located far from any armed conflict zone. We argued that such killings violate the Constitution and international law, but the case was dismissed in federal court last December.

Your Baby's DNA and Informed Consent

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 11:15am

(Originally posted on MomsRising.org.)

Imagine this scenario: You just had a baby. You might be a tad tired; in a bit of a stupor, perhaps. A hospital employee —maybe your doctor or nurse — hands you a 32-page pamphlet explaining what will be done with your baby's DNA sample after it's tested for disease. You accept the pamphlet.

New Report Shows 95% of Campus Rapes Go Unreported

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 12:10pm

Yesterday, Vanessa at Feministing blogged on a study by the Center for Public Integrity about sexual assault on campus. The figure of campus rapes that go unreported is 95 percent—a sad and shocking state of affairs. And for those that are reported, disciplinary actions schools take against student perpetrators include measures such as:

Handy Tips for Transgender Travelers

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 11:14am

The hubbub over the TSA naked machines and "enhanced pat-downs" impact everyone who travels. But if you're a transgender individual, you might be especially wary of what you'll confront in the security line. So be sure to check out the National Center for Transgender Equality's travel tips for transgender individuals. They also offer a FAQ on Whole Body Imaging (PDF).

TSA Meets "Resistance" with New Pat-Down Procedures

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 3:42pm

The Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) even-more-invasive pat-down searches for people who opt-out of the strip-search machines at airports have generated some striking stories of people's encounters with TSA agents. Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic recounts:

Colorado Women's Prison Ends "Labia Lift" Search Policy

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 2:54pm

Last month, we told you about a horrifying method of strip-searching prisoners for contraband at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility (DWCF). It required prisoners to hold open their labia as correctional officers, "sometimes using a flashlight, sometimes positioning their faces only inches away from a prisoner's genitals, conduct an inspection. Reports even indicate that some prisoners have been forced to pull back the skin of their clitorises."

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