(2018-10-06). Sen. Collins Calls for Kavanaugh's Presumption of Innocence — Where is the Criminal Investigation? therealnews.com 
Our panelists Paul Jay, Dharna Noor, and Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of the Maryland ACLU, and host Marc Steiner discuss the significance of the nomination, why the Democrats didn't pursue a criminal investigation for perjury, the consequences for women's rights and whether a fight should be waged to impeach Kavenaugh once he is confirmed.
(2018-10-06). Statement on Kavanaugh Senate Confirmation. naacp.org NAACP President Calls Kavanaugh Confirmation "Devasting Blow" Move Signals Dark Days Ahead for Civil Rights Communities — America Deserves Better BALTIMORE (October 6, 2018)—NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson released the following remarks regarding the Senate confirmation of nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate's decision today to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme […]
(2018-10-06). Sen. Collins Calls for Kavanaugh's Presumption of Innocence — Where is the Criminal Investigation? therealnews.com Our panelists Paul Jay, Dharna Noor, and Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of the Maryland ACLU, and host Marc Steiner discuss the significance of the nomination, why the Democrats didn't pursue a criminal investigation for perjury, the consequences for women's rights and whether a fight should be waged to impeach Kavenaugh once he is confirmed.
(2018-10-05). NAACP Statement on Senate Vote to Advance Brett Kavanaugh Nomination. naacp.org The NAACP released the following statement regarding the Senate's decision to advance the Kavanaugh nomination: "Today's Senate vote to advance a Supreme Court nominee whose record and lack of integrity, temperament & impartiality was a monumental mistake that will affect generations to come. This should have disqualified him from serving on the Court not emboldened […]
(2018-10-05). GOP Senator's Hometown Paper Rips His 'Medieval Attitude Toward All Women as Sex Objects' in Devastating Op-Ed. alternet.org 
The paper, which has the largest daily circulation in the state, is berating the longest-serving Senate Republican in history. | The Salt Lake TribuneEditorial Board has launched what may be a historic attack on its vaunted U. S. Senator, Republican Orrin Hatch. The paper, which has the largest daily circulation in the state, is berating the longest-serving Senate Repub. . .
(2018-10-05). NAACP Congratulates Rev. William J. Barber II on Winning MacArthur "Genius" Grant Award. naacp.org NAACP extends an exuberant congratulations to Rev. William J. Barber II, NAACP Member, National Board of Directors and former North Carolina State Conference President. "No one is more deserving of this award than Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II. He is and will always be an integral part of the NAACP. As a long-standing champion […]
(2018-10-04). Black Voters Wanted! NAACP to Turn Out the Black Vote Like Our Lives Depend on It. naacp.org The morning of November 7, 2016 was a rude awakening for millions of Americans — 231, 556,622 Americans to be exact. This was the approximate number of eligible voters who did not vote in the presidential election. In fact, if each of these 230 million plus people collectively wrote in a hypothetical candidate's name on […]
(2018-10-04). NAACP Frequently Asked Questions. naacp.org The NAACP hosted a National Call to Action Tele-Townhall on Wednesday, September 19, 2018. Thousands of concerned Americans participated and heard from NAACP leaders on how they can help push back against the current attack on civil rights and the right to vote. Out of this call came several important questions, and the NAACP has […]
(2018-10-04). When Our Collective Power Is Tested, We Must Vote! Our Lives Depend On It. naacp.org As we approach this 2018 midterm election we have so much to consider. We have to acknowledge the alarming 230 million people that didn't vote in the 2016 presidential election. We have to acknowledge that there were more people who did not vote in the 2016 election than those who did. We have to acknowledge […]
(2018-10-04). SPLC report: Detention system forces people to give up claims to stay in U.S. splcenter.org Before fleeing Somalia, Yuusuf was a teacher.
(2018-10-04). NAACP ANNOUNCES MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN AIMED TO INCREASE LONG TERM BLACK VOTER TURNOUT. naacp.org NAACP President Derrick Johnson, in partnership with allied organizations, will execute messaging, tactics to reach & empower Black voters…
(2018-10-04). San Francisco Is a Hotbed of Illegal Race-Based Policing. aclu.org Law enforcement in San Francisco have subverted the Constitution and broken the law by basing arrests on race. | Our Constitution promises all people, regardless of race, equal protection under the law. Yet the San Francisco Police Department has consistently singled out Black people for enforcement of criminal laws. | In 2013 and 2014, the SFPD collaborated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California on a drug enforcement operation. Despite the fact that the SFPD knew that in the Tenderloin district — where they chose to the…
(2018-10-04). NAACP PARTNERS WITH WE TV IN MULTI-PLATFORM EFFORT TO UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING IN THE MID-TERM ELECTION. naacp.org Campaign Features WE tv Talent Encouraging Viewers to Vote on November 6 | …
(2018-10-03). Jeff Sessions Is Fighting Tennessee's Effort to Make Prosecution More Fair. aclu.org The Department of Justice is attempting to erode defendants' rights and state independence . | Earlier this year, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility released an ethical opinion that required federal prosecutors working in the state to disclose all information favorable to criminal defendants. It stated those disclosures must be even broader and earlier in the process than the U.S. Constitution requires. This is a praiseworthy move that could help stem the tide of coercive plea bargai…
(2018-10-03). The U.S. Detention of Children Is Only Getting Worse. progressive.org No longer forcibly separating families at the border, the Trump Administration has merely changed the way children are harmed.
(2018-10-03). Mothers Should Not Be Jailed and Separated From Their Kids Before Trial. aclu.org Despite not having been convicted of a crime, mothers in Oklahoma are routinely jailed before trial with devastating results for their families. | Tanisha (a pseudonym) is a 25-year-old mother of four who was arrested in Oklahoma in 2017 following a domestic dispute with her boyfriend. Three of her children, a toddler and twin infants, were present. Once jailed, Tanisha's bail was set at $61,000. She couldn't afford to pay it, so she stayed behind bars, separated from her children. | This is wealth-based family separation perpetuated by the criminal justice system. | A new joint report from the ACLU and Human Ri…
(2018-10-03). Mom Fears Her Autistic Son Is Being Abused at School. District Does Nothing. aclu.org A Northern California school district is creating a hostile environment for a Black student with disabilities in violation of the law. | School just got back in session, but one school district in Northern California already needs a lesson in how to create a welcoming and safe environment for Black students with disabilities., , A 5-year-old Black student with autism and speech and language impairments suffered for months, including suffering injuries that needed to be treated by a hospital, all because of the inadequate oversight of Hayward Unified School District's staff. In a time when Black students are regul…
(2018-10-03). Why the ACLU Opposes Brett Kavanaugh's Nomination to the Supreme Court. aclu.org The ACLU board concluded sexual assault allegations raised enough doubt to warrant opposing a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. | On Friday, Sept. 28, following the Senate Judiciary hearing at which both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified, the ACLU decided to depart from its usual policy in order to oppose the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. | It was not a decision we took lightly. As a matter of policy, the ACLU does not endorse or oppose presidential nominations. We have made exceptions, but those exceptions are few and far between. In our 98-year history,…
(2018-10-02). Detention conditions: Medical neglect, death and other immigration prison failures. splcenter.org As Mateo's story demonstrates, immigrants held at immigration prisons struggle to receive the health care they need.
(2018-10-02). Action Alert Update: Contact Your Senators NOW — Urge Them to‚Ä® Vote "No" on Kavanaugh, Full Senate Vote May Occur as Early as this Friday, October 5th. naacp.org 
Senate Judiciary Committee Sends Kavanaugh Nomination to Senate Floor with a Provision Calling for a Limited FBI Probe into Accusations of Sexual Abuse Contact Both of Your Senators to Urge a Full FBI Investigation of All Sexual Abuse and Drunken Misconduct Allegations Against Judge Kavanaugh Before a Full Senate Vote Urge Members of the Senate […]
(2018-10-02). Trump Admin Sends 1,600 Kids to Texas Tent City as Number of Detained Children Hits Record High. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is transferring detained migrant children from shelters across the country to a barren tent city in West Texas. The New York Times reports that hundreds of children are being sent each week from shelters to the tent city, which currently houses 1,600 children. The facility reportedly has no school, and children have only limited access to legal services. The U.S. government is now detaining a record 13,000 migrant children. We speak with Louise Melling, deputy legal director at the ACLU, who says, "We have more children in detention now than ever before."
(2018-10-02). No One Should Be Detained Without a Hearing While Fighting Deportation. aclu.org The government's sweeping interpretation of a 1996 law has expanded mandatory detention far beyond what Congress intended. | In May of 2013, Astrid Morataya, a legal permanent resident, woke up to a knock on the door. Looking outside the window, she saw law enforcement agents with bulletproof vests encircling her home in Illinois. | "They must have the wrong house," she thought. But they were, in fact, there for her. The government waited 15 years to attempt to deport Astrid for a low-level drug conviction that she received in the late '90s, during a period in her life when she was the victim of ongoing sexu…
(2018-10-02). ACLU Formally Opposes Kavanaugh, Citing Credible Sexual Assault Allegations & Partisan Temperament. democracynow.org 
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It is only the fourth time in the organization's 98-year history that its national board of directors has voted to oppose a Supreme Court nominee. ACLU President Susan Herman said in a statement, "As a nonpartisan organization, the ACLU does not oppose Judge Kavanaugh based on predictions about how he would vote as a Justice. We oppose him in light of the credible allegations of sexual assault against him." The ACLU has now launched a $1 million ad campaign across four states urging key swing-vo…
(2018-10-02). Due process: Remote immigration prisons impede access to attorneys, chances for success. splcenter.org The Stewart Detention Center where Mateo was held sits in Lumpkin, Georgia, about 150 miles south of Atlanta. With a capacity of 1,996 people, it is one of the nation's largest immigration prisons. In one important way, however, Stewart is like many other such facilities: It is far from cities where detainees would have easier access to counsel…
(2018-10-01). A Judge Just Reminded CBP That the Border Isn't a Rights-Free Zone. aclu.org A federal court ruled in favor of an American family suing over their abusive detention at the U.S.-Canada border. | An American family that underwent a harrowing detention at the hands of U.S. Customs and Border Protection can now seek some measure of justice. That's the result of a recent ruling by the federal judge presiding over the lawsuit we filed on behalf of…
(2018-10-01). How Jeff Sessions is Attacking Immigration Judges and Due Process Itself. aclu.org The attorney general is abusing his power to force immigration judges to issue more deportation orders. | When the government believes that someone should be deported, it usually has to prove its case in an immigration court. And although the immigration courts have long been plagued by due process problems—including the lack of any right to an appointed lawyer, even for kids—those courts have at least held out the promise of neutrality: a neutral immigration judge hears the case, and the losing party may appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. | But Jeff Sessions is aggressively working to make t…
(2018-09-28). Supreme Court to Decide Whether States Can Impose Excessive Fines on the Poor. aclu.org The Eighth Amendment protects people from the devastation caused by state and local fines they can't reasonably pay. | When it reconvenes this fall, the Supreme Court will decide whether the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution can help stop state and local authorities from using people who come in contact with the justice system as their piggy banks. The case has ramifications for communities across the country, finally settling a question about whether the Constitution's prohibition on excessive financial penalties only applies to the federal government or to all public authorities. | The court will hear…
(2018-09-28). Laws Targeting Israel Boycotts Fail Again in Court. aclu.org For the second time this year, a federal judge has ruled that anti-boycott laws likely violate the First Amendment. | A new wave of state laws that try to limit Americans' constitutional right to engage in political boycotts is now 0 for 2 in federal court. | On Thursday night, a federal court blocked Arizona from enforcing a law requiring state contractors to certify that they are not participating in boycotts of Israel. The court agreed with the ACLU that the law likely violates contractors' free speech rights under the First Amendment. | "A restriction of one's ability to participate in collective calls to opp…