Wondering just exactly what are the most pressing civil liberties issues today? Want to know why they're important and how they affect you? Have a particular issue that hits really close to home? You've come to the right place.
Free Speech
Joseph
Frederick was suspended from school for displaying the sign "Bong
Hits 4 Jesus" at an off-campus rally. A federal appeals
court agreed with the ACLU that the school violated Joseph's right to
free speech. Now it's up to the Supreme Court. Listen
to Joseph
talk
about the case and also
to Mary
Beth Tinker discuss the case with him .
Mary Beth originally challenged
free speech at school in
a 1969 Supreme Court.
Freedom
Files: Youth Speak
Young people in America are often treated as if the Bill of Rights doesn't apply
to them. Watch Freedom Files to meet young people like Alondra Jones
whose rights were violated and who fought back.
LGBTQ
As
gay/straight alliances exist in schools from coast to coast and
many schools now actively work to protect all students from discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation. But there's still a lot of work to be done
to make schools a safer
space for LGBTQ students. Students are also on the frontlines in the courtrooms,
standing up for their rights. Check
out the LGBTQ case profiles page.
Words and ideas can be scary to some schools. Learn about banned books and listen to former ACLU client Ron Bilbao talk about his involvement in the banned books case in Florida. Watch Ron and other ACLU clients discuss how they challenged their schools on censorship, equal education and military recruitment.
Real Sex Education: Take Issue, Take Charge
Get the information on making responsible choices when it comes to sex and find
out the latest news, read the blogs and learn how you can get involved in common-sense
sex education.
National Security
The
U.S. Military Commissions Act of 2006 effectively eliminates habeas corpus.
Habeas corpus gives everyone the right to challenge imprisonment if
the government decides to throw you in jail. To combat this problem,
we've launched a campaign to help find
Mr. Habeas
Corpus. Also, check
out Matt Bors' comic on habeas corpus.
Racial Justice
Twelve kids were detained at the Hutto detention facility in
Texas. Their crime? Their parents were awaiting immigration decisions.
The ACLU filed ten lawsuits challenging the prison-like conditions
inside Hutto. Listen to the podcasts of a family member and watch the
Freedom Files video short.
Criminal Justice
Have you heard about the "school to prison pipeline?" It's where kids, disproportionately
of color, are being funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile
and criminal justice systems. We have all kinds of information on this, as well
as a report
with audio and video links on girls in the juvenile justice system in New York.
Random Drug Testing
The experts agree and the evidence is clear: Random drug testing does not reduce
drug use among young people. Read
the report on why educators are saying no and get information on what
to do if you're
stopped or searched by police.
Drug Busts and Financial Aid
Learn how the ACLU
fights to overturn the law that denies financial aid to students with drug
convictions, and read the report of the state-by-state impact of policies like
these by Students
for Sensible Drug Policy.
Religious Liberty
A Pennsylvania school district tried to teach
creationism thinly veiled as "Intelligent Design." In a case
brought by the ACLU, the courts declared
ID a religious view, not a scientific theory. Learn more
about tstudents and parents who challenge this and similar lesson
plans.
Don't see what you're looking for? Visit www.aclu.org
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