Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union

"Give Us Our Books, Don't Treat Us Like Crooks"

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-06T13:15:00-05:00

So went the call for change on the steps of New York City Hall. On October 22, folks from the New York Civil Liberties Union and I participated in a rally at City Hall to raise public awareness about and garner support for the Student Safety Act.

A Promising First Step in Protecting Illinois Teenagers' Health and Safety

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-05T16:30:00-05:00

In a legal challenge brought by the ACLU, an Illinois state court yesterday issued an emergency order blocking a law that prevents teens from having an abortion unless they notify a parent or go to court. This victory ensures that teens throughout Illinois will continue to be safe and able to obtain the care that they need.

Privacy For Sale

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-05T11:16:00-05:00

Ron Peterson has a variety of exciting aliases. "In Florida I'm a female prostitute (named Ronnie); in Texas I'm currently incarcerated for manslaughter," Peterson, a California resident, said. "In New Mexico I'm a dealer of stolen goods. Oregon has me as a witness tamperer. And in Nevada — this is my favorite — I'm a registered sex offender." All of this is thanks to the unregulated data aggregation industry.

Senate to Hold Landmark ENDA Hearing — ACLU to Tweet LIVE!

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-04T17:17:00-05:00

Tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). This will be the first Senate hearing on ENDA since 2002. The legislation would help to ensure workplace equality by protecting LGBT workers from employment discrimination.

Accountable for Torture…In Italy

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-04T17:09:00-05:00

Today, an Italian court convicted 23 Americans for the “extraordinary rendition” of a Muslim cleric who was kidnapped in Milan in 2003. The case is the first of its kind to hold Americans accountable for the rendition of terrorism suspects overseas.

One Big Disappointment, Lots of Victories

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-04T13:25:00-05:00

I’m not going to try to spin it: Our loss in Maine yesterday, where voters rejected a law that would have given same-sex couples the right to marry, was deeply disappointing and discouraging. All of us here at the LGBT Project started yesterday hopeful and were further encouraged by reports that turnout was well above what was expected.

ESPN Documentary to Explore Crack Disparity’s Misguided Origins

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-03T17:10:00-05:00

As part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series of documentary films, they will be airing Without Bias tonight at 8pm (with additional airings on their various sister networks over the coming months).

Capital Punishment Project Staff Highlighted in Law Review Article

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-03T16:50:00-05:00

A recent article in the Tennessee Law Review (subscription required) highlights the work done by the ACLU Capital Punishment Project in their representation of Richard Taylor, a severely mentally illness death-row inmate in Tennessee. The article, "Effective Capital Defense Representation And The Difficult Client," was written by Bradley McClean, who once represented Taylor. McClean writes:

Government Hands Over More Torture Documents

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-03T14:32:00-05:00

On Friday, the government released more documents detailing the Bush administration’s torture program. The documents were handed over as a part of our ongoing litigation under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for information related to the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody overseas.

Sen. Durbin Takes on Crack Myths and The Washington Post

suzanne_ito — 2009-11-03T11:52:00-05:00

On Saturday, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) had a letter to the editor published in The Washington Post that challenged claims the newspaper made in a recent editorial on crack cocaine sentencing reform.