News & Commentary

In 2015, the ACLU sued psychologists James Elmer Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen, whom the CIA enlisted to design, implement, and oversee its post-9/11 torture program. Our clients were Suleiman Abdullah Salim and Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, who survived the torture, and the family of the late Gul Rahman, who was kidnapped, experimented on, and tortured to death in CIA custody. W

As a Harvard graduate student and mother of three children, Zainab Merchant was accustomed to traveling frequently from her home in Orlando to Boston for her studies. In 2016, that all changed. T

“With violent crime on the rise, we must invest in more police.” You’ve probably heard this recently from the media, elected officials, and some people directly impacted by gun violence. The pain of communities facing the threat of interpersonal gun violence demands that something be done to protect families, create safer streets, and save lives. If you combine that desperate need for solutions with a society where police have been legitimized as the first, last, and only resort, it’s easy to understand why people would clamor for more police right now. W

Twenty years after 9/11, the pervasive power of our government’s mass surveillance regime is clearer than ever — and it’s past time for change. Congress now has the opportunity to enact essential reforms, by looking to the lessons of the last two decades to impose restraints that will protect us in the face of even more powerful and invasive technologies going forward. T

A total nightmare. That’s what life has felt like as a mother living with six children in virtual classes. For over a year, it’s been one challenge after another to get the tools my children need to continue their education. We needed space, so I got them folding tables for desks. We needed computers, so a local nonprofit helped supply each child with a laptop. But we learned quickly that all the space and supplies in the world didn’t mean much without a steady broadband internet connection. We could not afford it. W

Last month, the U.S. Census Bureau provided the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with population counts to use in their redrawing of the electoral district boundaries for representation in Congress, state legislatures, and many county and municipal offices. This data release marks the official start of the once-in-a-decade redistricting process that will determine the allocation of political power and representation at every level of government across the country for the next ten years. A

Do vaccine mandates violate civil liberties? Some who have refused vaccination claim as much. W

Marcos Castillo is intelligent, industrious, and the boyfriend of a wonderful woman. He is also paralyzed from the neck down. For him to get out of bed in the morning, to get showered, dressed, and out of the house, he needs someone to come in to help him. F

As schools begin to reopen for the new school year, students like J.W. are dreading the return to hallways patrolled by police officers who are trained and ready to detain, handcuff, and arrest students. A