News & Commentary

Image of a two hands reaching across the table with a patriotic sign that says VOTE in the middle.

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.

Sep 01, 2016

Milwaukee Police Forcibly Arrested Two Men Last Night for Doing Nothing Wrong. They Got a Surprise When One Was A State Rep and the Other Was From the ACLU.

Last night in the Sherman Park area, Milwaukee police officers in riot gear wrongfully arrested two men for no good reason. But this time, the men they arrested had the means to demand their rights and were released. The men were Jarrett English, an organizer at the ACLU of Wisconsin, and State Representative Jonathan Brostoff. At about 9:30 p.m., a handful of people, including Mr. English and Rep. Brostoff, stood on the northeast c

By aclutn

Aug 31, 2016

Predictive Policing Software Is More Accurate at Predicting Policing Than Predicting Crime

“Predictive policing” has an enticing ring to it. The idea is that you feed a bunch of data into a mysterious algorithm, and poof, out comes intelligence about the future that tells police where the next crime is going to occur, or even who is going to commit it. What’s not to get excited about? Unfortunately, many predictions made by policing software don’t come true. This is because pre

By aclutn

Aug 31, 2016

No Review Necessary: Stop Using Private Prisons for Immigration Detention

Jeh Johnson, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has announced that he is setting up a committee to review whether to continue using private prisons for immigration detention. But it doesn’t take a study to figure out that the system Secretary Johnson runs is costly and causes needless human suffering. We should stop filling for-profit prison beds with asylum-seekers, children, and thousands of others who never got a fair day in court. If Secretary Johnson wants to understand the stakes, he should ask the family of

By aclutn

Aug 30, 2016

I Needed Treatment, Not Judgment From My Catholic Hospital

Last December, I slipped on water on my bathroom floor and fell hard onto the tile. Later that night, I felt cramping in my back and abdomen. The next morning I was bleeding. After doing some online research, I feared my intrauterine device (IUD) was dislodged. I knew I needed to see a doctor. I did what anyone would do — I called an OB-GYN in my insurance network and made the soonest appointment I could. The do

By aclutn

Aug 30, 2016

Racial Disparities in Policing Are Real And Rising. New Hampshire Needs Criminal Justice Reform at All Levels.

New Hampshire is often viewed, including by those who live here, as a white, homogenous state. But this is no longer true. New Hampshire’s demographics, like those of much of the country, are rapidly changing and becoming more diverse. For example, in Manchester and Nashua — New Hampshire’s two la

By aclutn

Aug 30, 2016

The Women Behind the 19th Amendment Had a Grander Vision Than Just the Right to Vote

Last week we commemorated Women’s Equality Day, a celebration of the anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Most people remember that the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. However, many people forget the Amendment's original intent: to make women fully equal citizens to men in all respects under the Constitution. On August 26, 1920, the United States adopted the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Throughout the

By aclutn

Aug 29, 2016

Kids in Handcuffs?

WHEN A KENTUCKY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY was caught on camera handcuffing an 8-year-old boy with disabilities, it made national headlines. But the problem runs deeper than one overzealous officer, say ACLU attorneys who sued the deputy and the Kenton County sheriff’s office in federal court under the Fourth and 14th Amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

By aclutn

Aug 26, 2016

When Police Body Cameras Aren’t The Answer.

This article originally appeared in USA Today. Earlier this month, a too familiar tragedy unfolded in East Los Angeles

By aclutn

Aug 26, 2016

Behind the Scenes of the Transgender Rights Fight in Texas

Note: This piece was originally published in The Advocate. Every year at about this time, my office gets calls from anxious parents concerned about whether their kids

By aclutn

Stay Informed

By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.