This Week in Civil Liberties

10/28/2011
Immigration Detention

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/28/11)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 6:29pm

In which states did ACLU lawsuits put a halt to suspicionless, mandatory drug testing?

Which Senators are working to show that the Patriot Act has a secret interpretation that violates the rights of American citizens?

What can be done to protect immigration detainees vulnerable to being sexually abused while in detention?

Victories in Florida and Missouri: No Illegal Drug Testing
On Monday we got some great news in Florida: following an ACLU lawsuit, the state will no longer be allowed to make people applying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) take a drug test in order to get the assistance they need. And in Missouri on Tuesday, a federal judge ruled a policy at Linn State Technical College that would have mandated students pass a drug test as a condition of enrollment is clearly unconstitutional.

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10/21/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/21/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:53pm

Who said the police don't need a warrant to demand cell phone location records of innocent citizens not even suspected of crime?

When was the last time Congress updated electronic privacy law?

Who violated the NAACP's right to free speech?

Which department is still discriminating against homosexual service members despite the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

What bill will ensure that citizens will not be treated as criminals based on their racial or ethnic heritage?

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10/14/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/14/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 6:04pm

In what state has an anti-immigrant law sent immigrants fleeing?

Which County Sheriff is running for cover after the ACLU exposed brutal conditions in his jail?

Which legislative body voted this week to allow hospitals to refuse emergency abortion care to women dying of pregnancy complications?

What can you get in exchange for giving up your privacy (and some urine)?

What new ACLU interactive tracks the legacy of the Patriot Act?

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10/07/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/7/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:38pm

What school, abiding by the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics, removed a student for refusing to counsel LGBT clients?

Who assaulted one of his students for wearing an LGBT t-shirt?

What list can you get on, but not off?

In which state is a law preventing kids from going to school, sick people from going to the hospital and victims from reporting crimes to the police?

What should the police have to do before attaching a GPS to your car?

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09/30/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (9/30/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 7:23pm

Which police department will stop wrongfully arresting people for misdemeanor marijuana possession charges after coercing or tricking them into revealing small amounts of pot they had concealed in their pockets or bags?

Where did a public school principal illegally try to convert students to Christianity during a mandatory assembly?

What is your mobile carrier’s data retention policy?

What is NYCLU doing at #OccupyWallStreet?

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09/23/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (9/23/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:10pm

In memory of Troy Davis, what can you do to keep fighting for the innocent on death row?

What did Ceara Sturgis’ principal try to force her to wear for her yearbook picture?

What organizations are allowed to discriminate when hiring for government-funded jobs?

Who told the Senate not to let history repeat itself regarding indefinite detainment?

Need some book titles for your reading list?

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09/16/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (9/16/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:48pm

What kind of information still remains vulnerable to government surveillance even 10 years after 9/11?

Who can you help save by sending a letter to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole?

Which state is proposing an amendment that is intended to limit the religious freedoms of Muslim-Americans?

At what school did a judge temporarily stop the unconstitutional mandatory drug testing of students?

Which federal agency’s training materials teach religious discrimination and mistrust of the Muslim-American community?

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09/09/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (9/9/11)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 4:26pm

Against whom did the ACLU win a major victory in the fight against warrantless cell phone location tracking?

Which amendment protects photographers' right to take pictures of things that are plainly visible in public spaces?

How much do you have to pay to visit a loved one in an Arizona prison?

What organization is appealing a decision that upholds a private citizen’s First Amendment right to free speech?

At what Missouri college will ALL new students have to take a mandatory drug test to attend classes?

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09/02/2011
U.S. Torture

This Week in Civil Liberties (9/2/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:03pm

What major telecom company participated in warrantless wiretapping?

Which former leader has no regrets about Bush Administration torture policies?

What supposedly quick fix to public education deficiencies endangers the separation between church and state?

What group is entitled to due process according to a US Court of Appeals case from this week?

Who did NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg endanger by failing to prepare adequately for Hurricane Irene?

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08/26/2011
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (8/25/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:23pm

Which state enacted a drug testing welfare benefit application law that costs more than it saves?

What can you do to protect your private info on Facebook?

Who are the NYPD and FBI spying on?

Who spent over half his life on death row before he was released because he was wrongfully convicted?

Told You So: Florida's New Drug Testing Policy Already Costing Taxpayers More
We've said a few times about Florida's horrible new law that drug tests all families applying for cash benefits. The law, which went into effect July 1, makes applicants front the cost of the drug test and reimburses individuals if they test negative. The ACLU and others predicted this program would be a failure and cost the state of Florida much more money than they would save. Guess what? In just the few weeks that the program has been in effect, we have been proven right.

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