News & Commentary

In March 2017, President Trump appointed Scott Lloyd to run a federal agency called the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Lloyd has almost no background in helping refugees. Instead, his main qualification for the job is that he spent his legal career furthering his anti-abortion ideology based on his religious beliefs. So it should have been no surprise that when Lloyd took office he began imposing his religious view

The federal trial over a Kansas law requiring people to show citizenship documents like a birth certificate or passport when registering to vote begins on March 6 in Kansas City. The American Civil Liberties Union will represent the League of Women Voters and several individuals whose voting rights were violated. Kris Kobach — the secretary of state of Kansas, chief architect of the law, and the defendant in the lawsuit — will represent himself. From 2013 to 2016, more than 35,000 Kansans were blocked from registering because of Kobach’s documentary proof-o

The federal trial over a Kansas law requiring people to show citizenship documents like a birth certificate or passport when registering to vote begins on March 6 in Kansas City. The American Civil Liberties Union will represent the League of Women Voters and several individuals whose voting rights were violated. Kris Kobach — the secretary of state of Kansas, chief architect of the law, and the defendant in the lawsuit — will represent himself. From 2013 to 2016, more than 35,000 Kansans were blocked from registering because of Kobach’s documentary proof-o

One of the proudest moments of the disability rights movement came on Sept. 17, 1987. After over a decade of scandals, exposés, and advocacy, the state of New York finally closed down Willowbrook State School. As the last of the people with disabilities who suffered under Willowbrook’s horrific conditions left for life in the community, many saw an opportunity to plan for a brighter future. With the rise of

This piece originally appeared in the

On Feb. 26, the full panel of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld federal protections for LGBT employees in the workplace. Attorney General Jeff Sessions not only opposed that position in legal filings, he attacked the judges after they ruled against him, saying, “I guess maybe the judges woke up that morning, read the New York Times or something, and decided their previous ruling was wrong.” Jeff Sessions is a successful politician, and he responded to this ruling a

As part of its anti-immigrant agenda, the Trump administration has been revoking Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals grants based on unproven allegations or minor offenses that should have no effect on whether a person can protected from deportation under DACA. This policy has caused many young immigrants to lose their permission to live and work in the United States with no notice, explanation or opportunity to respond. But on Monday night, a federal court in Los Angeles put a stop to the practice,

In a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration, the Supreme Court today refused to hear the government’s challenge to a lower court’s decision ordering the government to keep in place the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). Since the administration announced last fall that it was ending the program on March 5, many DACA recipients have already lost their residence and work permits. While the court’s decision is good news, it doesn't end the uncertainty, confusion, and fear of deportation f

The federal appeals court in New York today issued a victory for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, ruling that workers can’t be fired based on their sexual orientation and rebuffing the Trump administration’s insistence that they can. That might sound like common sense, but in two decisions from the 2000s, the Court of Appeals for