News & Commentary

This piece originally ran in The Washington Post. Cecillia Wang is deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. She was one of the attorney

On September 1 in Texas, SB 4 will take effect. And on that day, all law enforcement across the state will be immediately transformed from police officers into something much different. “SB 4 says that every local police officer, sheriff, and mayor throughout Texas now needs to enfor

This post was adapted from a presentation at an AI Now symposium held on July 10 at the MIT Media Lab. AI Now is a new initiative working, in partnership with the ACLU, to explore the social and economic implications of artificial intelligence. It seems to me that this is an auspicious moment for a conversation about rights and liberties in an automa

Last week, President Trump told Fox News that he is “seriously considering” a pardon for former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff Joe Arpaio, telling the network that the disgraced ex-law enforcement officer “has done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration” and “doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.” Arpaio was recently convicted of criminal contempt after he delibera

In its zeal to deport anyone, the Trump administration has jailed a man that the government has tried and failed to deport in the past. Fortunately for those of us who care about constitutional rights — not to mention basic human decency — the Supreme Court has built a wall around the government’s ability to do such a thing. In 1999, Mamadu Balde fled Sierra Leone, which was in the middle of a civi

The resurgence of white supremacy and the violence perpetrated by neo-Nazi terrorists in Charlottesville are painful reminders of how much work remains to challenge and defeat systems of hate and racial oppression in our nation. As a Black woman living in a former slave state adorned with monuments to the Confederate c

As an attorney representing victims of torture, one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen is the sheer determination of survivors standing up and publicly confronting those responsible. That’s why I’m so elated that our clients Suleiman Abdullah Salim, Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, and Obaidullah have surmounted so many obstacles in their long pursuit of justice. Last week, almost two years after filing their lawsuit, our clients prevailed over the final attemp

Nebraska’s prison conditions are inhumane and unconstitutional, and ultimately, they hurt public safety. We can’t reduce recidivism rates among former prisoners if, instead of being given rehabilitation opportunities, they have been horribly traumatized during incarceration.

For all people of good will — regardless of party affiliation, race, creed, or color — the events that took place this weekend in Charlottesville were sickening and deeply disturbing. Several clear themes eme