News & Commentary

This morning, in his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump deployed a transparent and familiar tactic to justify a shameful record: an appeal to national sovereignty over human rights. In his address, Trump mentioned “sovereignty” 21 times. That’s in

In coming days, President Trump is expected to announce the maximum number of refugees the United States will accept in the next fiscal year. Trump may cap the number at 50,000 or even lower, The New York Times has reported — fewer than any year since the beginning of the modern refugee resettlement program in 1980. In the midst of the world’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, the United States is set to abdicate its global leadership and abandon tens of thousands of vulnerable people. This is not only about numbers.  Imagine that your fa

This piece was originally published at the ACLU of Alabama.  On September 15, 1963,

The Supreme Court could in this case make major strides in ensuring that Fourth Amendment protections keep pace with advancing technology. In 2011, FBI agents in Detroit obtained several months’ worth of location records from cell

I loved my job in law enforcement, but I was demeaned, demoted, and discriminated against for choosing to be a mom. I was a police officer and investigator with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force for five years before I was pushed off the job for breastfeeding my son.In that time I worked my way up in the force, starting as a patrol officer and eventually becoming an undercover agent and training officer. Fewer than ten percent of officers work undercover and train recruits. These were competitive positions and promotions that I worked hard to earn. I grew up wanting to help people and decided that becoming a police officer was how I wou

In July 2012, Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins, together with Charlie’s mother Debbie Munn, went to Masterpiece Cakeshop, a Denver-area bakery, to purchase a cake for their wedding reception.  After they informed the bakery’s owner that they were a same-sex couple, he told them he would not sell them a wedding cake. He said that because of his religious beliefs,  he would sell wedding cakes only to heterosexual couples.  The couple filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which found the bakery had violated Colora

In July 2012, Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins, together with Charlie’s mother Debbie Munn, went to Masterpiece Cakeshop, a Denver-area bakery, to purchase a cake for their wedding reception.  After they informed the bakery’s owner that they were a same-sex couple, he told them he would not sell them a wedding cake. He said that because of his religious beliefs,  he would sell wedding cakes only to heterosexual couples.  The couple filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which found the bakery had violated Colora

Imagine serving your country for over a decade in the armed forces — many of those years hiding the truth of who you are, but still showing up each day to fight for something bigger than yourself.You put yourself on the line.You depend on your service for your benefits, for your survival, for the survival of your family. You plan your entire life around your career. After years of committed service,

This case challenges Ohio’s practice of ‘purging’ or removing people who vote infrequently from its voting rolls. Since this practice began in 1994, hundreds of thousands have been eliminated from voter registration lists. Under Ohio’s rules, registered voters who do not participate in an election in a two year period are sent a postcard from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office requesting a confirmation of address.  If the voter does not respond to the notice or vote within the next two consecutive federal elections, i.e. four years, they are removed from the rolls without further notice. Voting in the United States is not a ‘use it