By Cecillia Wang, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project at 4:59pm
Ultimately, it's not only up to the Supreme Court to decide if S.B. 1070 will stand. The American people must decide whether we will tolerate a nation with such invidious laws.
An employee at a religiously affiliated nonprofit writes about the struggle to get her employer to cover contraception prescribed for conditions like polycystic fibrosis and dysmenorrhea.
By Cecillia Wang, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project at 4:25pm
After seven days of trial testimony from both the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the Latino residents of the county who have suffered under a pattern and practice of racial profiling, the civil trial against Sheriff Joe Arpaio came to an end last week. The U.S. District Court will now decide whether Arpaio, the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America, has targeted Latinos for discriminatory traffic stops and illegal detentions.
By Anjali Abraham, Public Policy Director, ACLU of Arizona at 10:52am
The debate over access to contraception ain’t over yet. Earlier this year, the Arizona legislature introduced a bill that would allow employers to impose their religious beliefs on their employees and deny them access to basic health services. Several weeks ago, the bill appeared to be dead, but the bill, HB 2625, came roaring back with a vengeance. Arizona’s legislature passed the bill and it now sits on Governor Brewer’s desk.
By Chris Rickerd, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:24pm
At the end of today's Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee hearing on state and local immigration enforcement (ACLU statement here), former Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce tried to explain why Arizona's racial profiling law, S.B. 1070, makes sense. He proposed a logical two-step (watch from 120:45 here): First, he asserted that 90 percent of those who violate our immigration laws "come across that Southern border," and are "Hispanic." (In fact, 77 percent of the undocumented population is Latino.)
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.
By Cecillia Wang, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project at 10:36am
The U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday that after a three-year investigation, it found that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has engaged in a pattern and practice of racial profiling against Latino residents. The Justice Department also found the office unlawfully retaliated against its critics, discriminated against Latinos held in its jails and failed to provide policing services to the county’s Latino residents.
State legislatures are ground zero in the fight for civil liberties. Although they may not attract as much attention as debates in Congress or arguments in the Supreme Court, they are the source of unprecedented assaults on our most fundamental rights.
Three troubling trends of the 2011 state legislative session were:
restrictions on accessing abortion;
racial profiling bills targeting Latinos and immigrants; and
measures suppressing the right to vote.
Did your state see a battle on one of these issues? Check out this map to learn more.
