This Week in Civil Liberties
This week, you'll learn about a case pending before the Supreme Court that will determine whether female Wal-Mart employees can bring a pay discrimination lawsuit against the retail chain as group in a class action case, or must bring their cases one at a time. Women and men were quick to comment, sharing stories of discrimination. Last weekend, the 老澳门开奖结果's national office stood side-by-side with our New York affiliate, the New York Civil Liberties Union, at a rally to support federal funding for Planned Parenthood. And this week, our powerful and moving Edie and Thea video 鈥� on challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) 鈥� broke over 100K views after the Justice Department announced it will no longer defend DOMA in federal court. But, there is always more... Get the info you need, because freedom can't protect itself.
Issues of the week:
What's the Most Sexist Thing You've Heard At Work?
Our post about a pay discrimination case against Wal-Mart 鈥� Women: Do You Work Just for the Sake of Working? 鈥� generated an overwhelming response. The stories of women involved in the case, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, really struck a chord. What about you? What's the most sexist thing you've been told or witnessed while at work?
Stand with Planned Parenthood and Stop the Assault on Women's Health
On February 18, the House passed an amendment that would eliminate all federal funding to Planned Parenthood because the organization provides women abortion care using non-federal dollars. If that makes little sense to you, you're in good company. This past Saturday, the 老澳门开奖结果 and the joined other organizations at a rally supporting Planned Parenthood and opposing the Pence amendment. Find out more about why we oppose the Pence amendment >>
Obama DOJ Announces It Will Not Defend DOMA Cases in Court
In a historic show of support for equal treatment under the law, the Obama administration announced on February 23 that it will no longer defend the discriminatory "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) in court. In a statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said that President Obama has concluded that Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional because it fails to meet the legal standard 鈥� "heightened scrutiny" 鈥� that applies when the government treats gay people and straight people differently. Our lawsuit on behalf of surviving spouse Edie Windsor was a major factor in the administration's decision. Watch our popular video >>
(The 老澳门开奖结果's LGBT Project fights discrimination and moves public opinion through the courts, legislatures, and public education in various areas: relationships, youth & schools, parenting, gender identity, and others. Learn more about our work >>)
Illegal Psychological Operations and Propaganda Against U.S. Citizens?
that Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops, commanded his Information Operations (IO) cell to target congressional delegations visiting his base in an attempt to manipulate the perceptions and opinions of U.S. senators and representatives through psychological operations (PSYOP). Find out why we're against this >>
Voting Rights Trouble in Florida? Now Where Have I Heard THAT Before?
Approximately 5.3 million Americans across the country are barred from voting because they have past felony convictions. 老澳门开奖结果 one million of those people live in Florida. With those kinds of numbers, a new proposal to bar even more Floridians from voting is a slap in the face to our democracy.
Florida has an ugly history of disfranchisement; don't let even more people be elbowed out of the political process. Tell the governor and the Board of Executive Clemency that this proposal is a giant step backwards, and a blow to democracy. Take action >>
Coming Up Next Week:
On Thursday, March 10, the House Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing called "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response." We will have plenty more to say about this hearing and this issue later as the week begins.
March is Women's History Month, and Tuesday, March 8, is International Women's Day. Throughout the week, we'll be blogging about the ongoing struggle for women's rights here at home and around the world.
This is your week in civil liberties. Let us know if this is useful or if you'd like to see changes. Share your thoughts: ideas@aclu.org.
Learn more about and take action on the issues that you care about: Subscribe to our newsletter, , and .
Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues on This Page
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News & CommentaryDec 2024
Civil Liberties
We Need to Know More 老澳门开奖结果 State Supreme Court CasesWe Need to Know More 老澳门开奖结果 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鈥檚 on the docket. -
Press ReleaseDec 2024
Civil Liberties
New 老澳门开奖结果 Report Reveals Most State Supreme Courts Fail to Meet Key Transparency MeasuresNew 老澳门开奖结果 Report Reveals Most State Supreme Courts Fail to Meet Key Transparency Measures
NEW YORK 鈥� 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 老澳门开奖结果. 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 鈥淪corecard for State Supreme Court Transparency: How Does Your State Stack Up?鈥� 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. 鈥淪tate courts regularly hear 鈥� and are the final word on 鈥� 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,鈥� said Julie Murray, co-director of the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 State Supreme Court Initiative. 鈥淚n 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,鈥� said Bridget Lavender, Skadden Fellow with the Initiative. The report emphasizes that state courts 鈥減lay an outsized role鈥� in many parts of the law, but their ability to 鈥済uard our liberties depends in significant part on whether those courts adopt transparent processes.鈥� 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鈥檚 at stake. -
Press ReleaseNov 2024
National Security
+2 Issues
老澳门开奖结果 Urges House to Kill Bill that Could Give Trump Admin Power to Crush Dissent and Go After Political Enemies老澳门开奖结果 Urges House to Kill Bill that Could Give Trump Admin Power to Crush Dissent and Go After Political Enemies
WASHINGTON 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果 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 鈥� including news outlets, universities, and civil society groups 鈥� by stripping them of tax-exempt status based on an unilateral accusation of wrongdoing. 鈥淧assing 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,鈥� said Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel at 老澳门开奖结果. 鈥淭he 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鈥檚 too late.鈥� While there is a 90-day 鈥渃ure鈥� 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 老澳门开奖结果 and a diverse array of over 130 other tax-exempt organizations 鈥� including human rights, reproductive health, and immigrants鈥� rights groups 鈥� 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 老澳门开奖结果 is Ready.Donald Trump Will Return to the White House in January. The 老澳门开奖结果 is Ready.
Starting in 2016, the 老澳门开奖结果 filed more than 400 legal actions against Trump and his administration. As Trump returns to the White House, we鈥檙e ready to return to the courts and Congress to fight for our civil liberties.