The son of which celebrity is currently being held in solitary confinement, a method of extreme isolation that costs taxpayers money and does not contribute toward rehabilitation?
A school in which state has ended its ban on a book about a family with two moms after the ACLU challenged the book ban in court?
Which member of the executive branch announced his support for federal immigration reform this week?
Which private prison company earns $1.7 billion annually for incarcerating 81,384 prisoners?
Which bill should you ask your member of Congress to co-sponsor to ensure equal pay for equal work for women?
If You Thought “The Game” Was Terrifying, Consider the “Hole” Where Michael Douglas’ Son is Currently Locked Alone
Celebrity gossip blogs and major papers are reporting that Cameron Douglas, the son of actor Michael Douglas, is currently being held in solitary confinement, also known as the "hole."
Let’s take a second and think about what that means. It means that Cameron, and the 80,000 others subjected to this torturous practice nationwide, will likely be locked alone in a cell for 22-24 hours day. It means that Cameron will be subjected to a form of psychological pressure so intense that it has been shown to dramatically heighten suicide rates. It means that Cameron will likely be fed through a slot in the door.
School Promises in Settlement to Stop Removing Library Books for 'Advocacy of Homosexuality'
Last year, Davis School District in Utah removed a children’s book about a family with two moms from its elementary school library shelves after receiving complaints from some parents that the book "normalized a lifestyle we don’t agree with."
When the school district refused to reconsider its decision, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of a mother with two children in one of the schools where In Our Mothers' House was restricted. Our client, Tina Weber, explained that she filed the suit because "nobody should be able to tell other people’s kids what they can and can’t read."
Earlier this month, the school district reversed its decision and put the book back on the library shelves where it can be checked out on the same terms as any other children’s book. And yesterday, we announced a final settlement agreement with the school district that ensures that this mistake won’t happen again.
ACLU Responds to President’s Immigration Announcement
The ACLU welcomed President Obama’s announcement to prioritize federal immigration reform, and stressed the need for a common-sense system that is fair, just and respects everyone’s civil liberties.
The president’s speech in Las Vegas came shortly after a bi-partisan group of senators – ‘the Gang of Eight’ – put forth its proposal. The ACLU has released a framework for immigration reform, which urges policymakers to ensure a crucial set of priorities is adopted in order to ensure people’s civil rights are protected.
Happy Birthday to the Corrections Corporation of America? Thirty Years of Banking on Bondage Leaves Little to Celebrate
Thirty years ago this week, two retired military officers and a former prison administrator founded the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the first for-profit prison company in modern America. Today, CCA is the nation’s largest owner and operator of for-profit prisons, with annual revenues topping $1.7 billion. On an average day, the company incarcerates 81,384 people – more than the states of New York and New Jersey combined.
"Our Journey is Not Complete" – Equal Pay Requires Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act
In the 50 years since President John Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963, wages for women still do not equal those of men when they work the same job. According the U.S. Census Bureau, women who work full time, on average, earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn. Women of color fare far worse, with African American women earning 64 cents and Latinas earning 55 cents for each dollar earned by a white man.
The Paycheck Fairness Act would require that employers who pay their male and female employees differently for doing the same work must have a business justification that is not based on the employee’s gender. It would also provide more remedies for wage discrimination and prohibit retaliation against workers who inquire about wages or disclose their own wages to their co-workers.
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News & CommentaryDec 2024
Civil Liberties
We Need to Know More About State Supreme Court CasesWe Need to Know More About State Supreme Court Cases
State Supreme Courts interpret laws that impact some of the most intimate parts of our lives. Communities have a right to know what’s on the docket. -
Press ReleaseDec 2024
Civil Liberties
New ACLU Report Reveals Most State Supreme Courts Fail to Meet Key Transparency MeasuresNew ACLU Report Reveals Most State Supreme Courts Fail to Meet Key Transparency Measures
NEW YORK — Nearly half of all state supreme courts across the country fail to regularly post new cases they are considering, with only six meeting four key transparency measures already implemented by the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a new report published today by the American Civil Liberties Union. The report identifies significant steps that state supreme courts should take to inform the public about their cases, which have only grown in importance as the federal judiciary has become more hostile to protecting core rights and advocates have turned to state protections and state court litigation in response. Based on an analysis of the practices and policies of the highest courts in each state, including D.C., the report “Scorecard for State Supreme Court Transparency: How Does Your State Stack Up?” ranks each state supreme court in five tiers based on compliance with four key transparency measures. These measures include posting new cases online in a timely manner, providing timely information about legal issues presented by cases, making dockets accessible and free for the public, and making merits briefing accessible and free for the public. “State courts regularly hear — and are the final word on — cases affecting abortion rights, voting rights, criminal justice reform, and more. Yet, in many instances, the highest state courts do not provide meaningful public access to information about cases affecting the rights and liberties of millions of people. We urge state supreme courts to bring more transparency to the critical work they do,” said Julie Murray, co-director of the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative. “In the face of a federal judiciary increasingly unwilling to protect core rights and an incoming administration that threatens to exacerbate that problem, state courts are an important defense for our liberty. They should be leaders in transparency, too,” said Bridget Lavender, Skadden Fellow with the Initiative. The report emphasizes that state courts “play an outsized role” in many parts of the law, but their ability to “guard our liberties depends in significant part on whether those courts adopt transparent processes.” It further highlights that state supreme courts have led the way on enormously consequential decisions in recent years. In particular, some state supreme courts have recognized the right of same sex couples to marry, and did so long before federal courts. They have also declared the death penalty unconstitutional under state law despite contrary federal law, protected access to reproductive health care as a right even as that right was being stripped away at the federal level, and provided more robust protection to people subject to unreasonable searches and seizures. The report urges state supreme courts to take action to improve their transparency practices, taking notes from the courts that have already implemented these measures. It notes that regularly posting new cases and the issues they represent, and providing timely access to dockets and merits briefing allows the public, the press, and the legal community to track cases as they unfold, identify cases with statewide consequences, and understand what’s at stake. -
Press ReleaseNov 2024
National Security
+2 Issues
ACLU Urges House to Kill Bill that Could Give Trump Admin Power to Crush Dissent and Go After Political EnemiesACLU Urges House to Kill Bill that Could Give Trump Admin Power to Crush Dissent and Go After Political Enemies
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urges the House of Representatives to vote NO on H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would grant Donald Trump and his handpicked secretary of the Treasury power to investigate and effectively shut down any tax-exempt organization — including news outlets, universities, and civil society groups — by stripping them of tax-exempt status based on an unilateral accusation of wrongdoing. “Passing this bill would hand the incoming Trump administration a dangerous new tool it could use to stifle free speech, target political opponents, and punish disfavored groups,” said Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel at ACLU. “The freedom to dissent without fear of government retribution is a vital part of any well-functioning democracy, which is why Congress must block H.R. 9495 before it’s too late.” While there is a 90-day “cure” period in which a designated nonprofit can mount a defense, it is a mere illusion of due process. The government may deny organizations its reasons and evidence against them, leaving the nonprofit unable to rebut allegations. This means that a nonprofit could be left entirely in the dark about what conduct the government believes qualifies as "support," making it virtually impossible to clear its name. Last month, the ACLU and a diverse array of over 130 other tax-exempt organizations — including human rights, reproductive health, and immigrants’ rights groups — wrote to Congress urging them to vote no. The letter also explains that the groups do not oppose the provisions in H.R. 9495 that relate to preventing the IRS from imposing fines and penalties on hostages while they are held abroad. Indeed, these provisions have already passed the Senate on their own, and if the House of Representatives were to pass a version of this bill that did not include the text of H.R. 6408, it could be sent immediately to President Biden for his signature. -
News & CommentaryNov 2024
Civil Liberties
Donald Trump Will Return to the White House in January. The ACLU is Ready.Donald Trump Will Return to the White House in January. The ACLU is Ready.
Starting in 2016, the ACLU filed more than 400 legal actions against Trump and his administration. As Trump returns to the White House, we’re ready to return to the courts and Congress to fight for our civil liberties.