News & Commentary

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What's on the ballot in Tennessee?

Three constitutional amendments on bail, property taxes, and victims' rights are on Tennessee's November ballot. See where we stand.

Latest Publication

Sep 10, 2026

Citizenship Rights Restoration in Tennessee

Restoring your voting rights in Tennessee got easier in 2026. State Sen. Raumesh Akbari and State Rep. Karen Camper led the charge in the legislature to remove some of the biggest barriers standing between formerly incarcerated Tennesseans and the ballot box.

The Campaign Legal Center and Free Hearts, a Tennessee nonprofit led by formerly incarcerated women, have been on the ground helping people navigate this process and pushing for a fairer system. For eligibility requirements and step-by-step petition instructions, read the guide from Free Hearts and the Campaign Legal Center.

Thumbnail for the Set the Record Straight Series. Cover Reads: 470,000 Can't Vote

More from the Press

Stay informed on civil rights issues. Discover our latest actions and updates in the Press Release section.

Oct 03, 2016

Homeland Security Must Stop Using Private Prisons for Immigration Detention. Here’s How to Do It.

This August, the Justice Department made history when it announced that the Bureau of Prisons would curtail — and eventually end — its use of private prisons. As the Justice Department noted, this change was made possible by criminal justice reforms that reduced its prison population. Now the ACLU is releasing a policy paper that calls on the Department of Homeland Security to follow suit by reducing its detention population and then ending its own use of private prisons. The paper, “

By aclutn

Sep 30, 2016

For Black Men, Running Is a Reasonable Reaction to Police Harassment and Racial Profiling, Concludes Massachusetts’ Supreme Court

In 2004, University of Virginia football player Marquis Weeks returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. After the game he described how he did it: "That was just instinct," Weeks said with a laugh. "Kind of like running from the cops, I guess you could say." It’s funny until it isn’t. The “instinct” exists for a reason. Black and brown people have been running fro

By aclutn

Sep 30, 2016

Gov. LePage’s Binder of Black and Brown People Is Actually Pretty White

Last month, Maine’s Gov. LePage once again got our attention when he claimed to be keeping a binder of “every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state,” 90 percent of whom, he said, are Black or Hispanic. We couldn’t believe that was true, so we

By aclutn

Sep 29, 2016

Avoiding Contempt of Court, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach Says He’ll Let People Vote

Under the threat of contempt of court, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has agreed to register thousands of eligible voters and to properly notify them that they are registered. His announcement came after a federal judge summoned him to a contempt hearing for failing to fully carry out the court’s order and add about 18,000 voters to the rolls. Kobach is the

By aclutn

Sep 29, 2016

It's Time to Go, Hyde Amendment

Enacted in 1976, the Hyde Amendment turns 40 years old this year. The Hyde Amendment was introduced by the late Henry Hyde, a Republican from Illinois who sought to ban abortions outright. Disappointed that the Supreme Court had just ruled that the Constitution protects the right to an abortion, Rep. Hyde introduced the amendment to restrict abortion access for those who qualify for Medicaid. The amendment withholds insurance coverage for abortion care in virtually

By aclutn

Sep 29, 2016

Keith Lamont Scott's Disability May Have Gotten Him Killed, and He's Not The Only One

Last week in Charlotte, North Carolina, police shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott, a Black man with a disability. This happens with gut-wrenching frequency. It happened again this week in El Cajon, California, where police shot and killed Alfred Olango, a Black man with mental illness. Yet disability is often overlooked as a factor in police killings and use of force. A recent

By aclutn

Sep 29, 2016

Federal Court Says Ballot Selfie Ban Is Like Burning Down the House to Roast a Pig

In a victory for the First Amendment, a federal appeals court unanimously struck down New Hampshire’s law banning “ballot selfies.” In a thoughtful 22-page o

By aclutn

Sep 29, 2016

This November, Know Your Voting Rights

When voters go to the polls this November, they will encounter a patchwork of different laws and policies, many of them new since the 2012 presidential election — on everything from new voter registration deadlines to new identification requirements at the polls. Since the last presidential election, 17 states have sought to implement ne

By aclutn

Sep 26, 2016

In Syracuse, A Child Can Be Thrown in Solitary for Singing Whitney Houston

Learn about what's happening across the most pressing civil liberties issues of our time, and what you can do.

By aclutn

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