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For decades, local, state and federal public officials from both political parties and powerful interest groups engineered the system of mass incarceration. They did this in part by constructing a narrative of fear fueled by racism through which they passed laws, spent billions of dollars, and separated millions of families. It was a disaster of epic proportions that unfolded in slow motion and for which we are still paying the price today as a nation.
T
By aclutn
Apr 12, 2017
Why Was a 3-Year-Old in South Dakota Forcibly Catheterized as He Screamed in Pain?
Imagine the Department of Social Services threatens to remove your child from your custody unless you agree to have his urine collected. Under duress, you consent— only to watch hospital staff pin your three-year-old down and forcibly catheterize him as he screams in pain. Two days later, he is still in pain. You take him back to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with a staph infection in his penis.
This is not a hypothetical situation. One day this past winter, police in Pierre, South Dakota, ar
By aclutn
Apr 11, 2017
The First Amendment Looks Especially Beautiful in Arabic
In 2006, a human rights advocate, who is a friend, was prevented from boarding his flight from New York to California because of Arabic.
Yes, Arabic. The language spoken by more than 400 million people worldwide, making it one
By aclutn
Apr 10, 2017
“Extreme Vetting” of Visitors Poses an Extreme Threat to Our Principles and Our Security
We’ve heard a lot of rhetoric about “extreme vetting” of visitors to the United States since Donald Trump proposed it during the presidential campaign. While we still don't know precisely what the Trump administration means by the term, preliminary accounts of what it might entail make clear — no surprise here — that it’s a phenomenally bad idea.
The Wall Street Journal recently
By aclutn
Apr 10, 2017
Government Goes After Critic on Twitter, Remembers Constitution Just in Time
For a few weeks, the government seemed to forget that the Constitution protects the right to speak anonymously. Thankfully, the prospect of a legal challenge from Twitter and the ACLU appears to have jogged its memory.
On March 14, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
By aclutn
Apr 10, 2017
Reproductive Healthcare for Millions of Low-Income Women Is One Trump Signature Away From Being Threatened
Just a week after the Republican Party’s Affordable Care Act repeal bill was dramatically pulled from the House floor, the Senate advanced legislation that will have serious consequences for the reproductive health and family planning abilities of millions across the country. It’s now awaiting President Trump’s signature — and we have his vice president to thank.
On March 30, the Senate passed
By aclutn
Apr 10, 2017
This Court Decision in the Gavin Grimm Case Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes.
On April 7th, the Fourth Circuit overturned Gavin Grimm's win from last year, based on the Supreme Court's decision last month not to hear the case. Gavin had won the right to use the boys' restroom on the same terms as other boys but the school district appealed his win. The Fourth Circuit will now hear oral argument later this year to determine whether Title IX protects transgender students independently of any federal guidance on the issue one way or the other. Two of the three judges that considered Gavin's case issued this moving opinion noting that Gavin's "journey is delayed but not finished" and recognizing Gavin's important role in the history of movements for justice.
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I concur in the order granting the unopposed motion to vacate the district court’s prelimina
By aclutn
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