This Week in Civil Liberties

06/17/2011

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 6:25pm

Despite all the distractions of the week (and by distractions, we mean that weird case of possible voter fraud—let's focus on civil liberties, people!) it was still a busy week here at the ACLU.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the day President Richard Nixon declared the “war on drugs,” a failed and unfair war that has helped make the U.S. the nation’s largest incarcerator. To mark this day, we debuted a new infographic that shows some startling statistics about America’s addiction to incarceration, a byproduct of this failed war on drugs. Check out the infographic here.

06/10/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Jessica Monaco, ACLU at 5:26pm

Another busy week! We filed a lawsuit seeking declassification of the State Department cables released by Wikileaks, appealed the dismissal of our lawsuit on behalf of Jose Padilla against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, got a Louisiana school board to stop denying children equal educational opportunities in the classroom and more.

"If the Law Does Not Protect Jose Padilla . . . It Protects No One"
In February, a federal district court in South Carolina dismissed our lawsuit against Donald Rumsfeld and other current and former government officials for their roles in the detention and torture of American citizen Jose Padilla. This week we appealed that dismissal.

06/03/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 5:57pm

It's LGBT Pride month! We're celebrating with a weekly blog series featuring diverse voices from the LGBT community.

This month also reminds us of something definitely not worth celebrating: the War on Drugs, which turned 40 this year. To mark the occasion, we'll be blogging daily throughout June about the failed war, and how it's created bloated prisons, cost billions in wasteful spending, ravaged communities of color and hasn't changed the demand for drugs one iota.

05/27/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 9:00pm

TGIF, because it's been a busy week! We fought an authorization for war without end, advocated for an end to the ridiculous prohibition of abortion care for women in the military who have been raped, testified against a bill that proposes to lock up immigrants forever and fought the good fight for Patriot Act reform. And that was just in Congress.

Elsewhere, the Supreme Court handed down a game-changing win for prisoners' rights, and a national software company made good for LGBT students. And while some states are trying to restrict your right to vote, we're fighting to safeguard it.

05/20/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Jessica Monaco, ACLU at 6:30pm

This week, a lot of you found it hard to believe that Congress wants to give up its constitutional obligation to declare war.

New Authorization of Worldwide War Without End?
A hugely important provision for Congress to authorize a new worldwide war was tucked away inside the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), making its way through our legislature. First there was: Unchecked Executive War Power Could Slip Through the House. Then we brought you: House Gets Ready to Vote on New Worldwide War. And finally there was More Eyes Needed on Congress as they Prepare to Vote on Worldwide War Authorization. Today's: House to Vote on Endless Worldwide War Next Week

05/13/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Jessica Monaco, ACLU at 6:43pm

This week, lots of government spying, tracking and other abuses of your civil liberties.

04/29/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Jessica Monaco, ACLU at 5:34pm

The ACLU butted heads with big companies this week: Wal-mart and medical marijuana. Apple and privacy. Sony and privacy. Signal and human trafficking. In other news, Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU and Larry Siems of PEN American Center gave us a new perspective and a timely reminder in a New York Timesop-ed: Torturers and their apologists are not heroes, men and women who stand up for what's right are heroes. And more...

ACLU Appeals Medical Marijuana Case on Behalf of Cancer-Stricken Wal-Mart Employee
The ACLU filed a brief urging a federal appeals court to reinstate a 2010 lawsuit about the wrongful firing of Wal-Mart employee Joseph Casias for using medical marijuana in accordance with state law. In February, a U.S. district judge dismissed the case, but the ACLU is appealing.

04/22/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 6:08pm

This week, our own Robyn Shepherd shared a hair-raising personal story of street harassment on the blog for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Next week, we'll release a know-your-rights fact sheet for students about how to deal sexual assault and other gender-based violence in school. It'll outline your rights and your school's responsibilities to its students under the law, including what schools should not do in responding to gender-based violence.

04/15/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 6:01pm

Today, thousands of middle and high school students protested bullying, harassment and discrimination against their LGBT classmates on the Day of Silence. Earlier this week, Congress did its part on behalf of LGBT Americans by reintroducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Thursday.

Tuesday of this week marked Equal Pay Day, which, if you're a woman, is the day into 2011 that you have to work, on average, to make the same as a man did in just 2010 alone. Depressing! Congress marked this day by reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA), which would address wage discrimination and eliminate loopholes that undermine the effectiveness of the 1963 Equal Pay Act. PFA was so close to passing last year. It's about time this one passed...

04/08/2011

This Week in Civil Liberties

By Jessica Monaco, ACLU at 7:00pm

A few themes emerged at the ACLU this week: Women's Health, LGBT rights and the death penalty. We also found a moment or two to speak out against hate speech — in the advertising epicenter of the world — Times Square!

Our Bodies, Ourselves — It's a Cliché Because It's True.
Between hearings in the challenge to breast cancer gene patenting on Monday and a highly successful rally in Washington, D.C., yesterday, the ACLU was standing up for women's rights — not to mention free speech, scientific freedom, and choice — all over the place. The courtroom was crowded with scientists, medical professionals and legal scholars when the ACLU's Chris Hansen presented arguments in our case against Myriad Genetics' patent on the breast cancer gene. And about 3,500 supporters of women's health showed up at the rally. See what they had to say here.

American Civil Liberties Union