I first met Damon Thibodeaux early in 1998, on death row at Angola Prison in Louisiana. I was his lawyer for the next 15 years, while he successfully fought for and won his exoneration and freedom in 2012. I was his friend until he died, on August 31, of …
Gaining the public’s trust in artificial intelligence (AI) will take more than just setting technical standards. It will require that institutions using this technology first prove they are worthy of our trust. Earlier this year, Congress passed its most …
Update 9/13/2021: This week, the House Judiciary Committee will begin markup of immigration provisions in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill. As of Monday morning, the language restores access to diversity visas for people who were selected in the …
In the early days after 9/11, I hoped desperately — alongside so many others around the country and the world — that our government would make wise choices, that it would meet violence with justice, transparency, accountability, and a commitment to …
COVID-19 was not the only deadly public health crisis of the past year and a half. The overdose epidemic killed a record 93,000 Americans in 2020, ravaging communities across the country, and may be on track to be worse in 2021. While the nation has …
In 2015, the ACLU sued psychologists James Elmer Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen, whom the CIA enlisted to design, implement, and oversee its post-9/11 torture program. Our clients were Suleiman Abdullah Salim and Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, who survived the …
As a Harvard graduate student and mother of three children, Zainab Merchant was accustomed to traveling frequently from her home in Orlando to Boston for her studies. In 2016, that all changed. Those trips suddenly became ordeals: hours of delay at the …
“With violent crime on the rise, we must invest in more police.” You’ve probably heard this recently from the media, elected officials, and some people directly impacted by gun violence. The pain of communities facing the threat of interpersonal gun …
Twenty years after 9/11, the pervasive power of our government’s mass surveillance regime is clearer than ever — and it’s past time for change. Congress now has the opportunity to enact essential reforms, by looking to the lessons of the last two decades …
A total nightmare. That’s what life has felt like as a mother living with six children in virtual classes. For over a year, it’s been one challenge after another to get the tools my children need to continue their education. We needed space, so I got them …
Last month, the U.S. Census Bureau provided the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with population counts to use in their redrawing of the electoral district boundaries for representation in Congress, state legislatures, and many county …
Do vaccine mandates violate civil liberties? Some who have refused vaccination claim as much. We disagree. At the ACLU, we are not shy about defending civil liberties, even when they are very unpopular. But we see no civil liberties problem with requiring …
Marcos Castillo is intelligent, industrious, and the boyfriend of a wonderful woman. He is also paralyzed from the neck down. For him to get out of bed in the morning, to get showered, dressed, and out of the house, he needs someone to come in to help him. …
As schools begin to reopen for the new school year, students like J.W. are dreading the return to hallways patrolled by police officers who are trained and ready to detain, handcuff, and arrest students. After being bullied in his Texas high school one day …
After a whirlwind of court actions this month, the Biden administration will be forced to restart a Trump-era border policy that trapped tens of thousands of people seeking asylum in dangerous conditions in Mexico while they awaited their court dates. The …
James C. Hormel, the first openly gay U.S. ambassador, died on Friday, August 13. Former director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project Matt Coles reflected on the long friendship between Hormel and the ACLU. Jim Hormel was a fine human being. In a lot of …
Apple recently announced upcoming changes in how it handles photos on iPhones. These changes are a step toward significantly worse privacy for all iPhone users, and are especially troubling for activists, dissidents, whistleblowers, members of oppressed …
A critical report on the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system issued today by the City of Chicago’s Inspector General (IG) is the latest indication of deep problems with the gunshot detection company and its technology, including its methodology, …
Redistricting is the process of drawing the lines of districts from which public officials are elected. When it’s conducted fairly, it accurately reflects population changes and racial diversity, and is used by legislators to equitably allocate …
One in 12 American children — more than 5.7 million kids — have experienced parental incarceration at some point during their lives. Black Americans are 50 percent more likely than white Americans to have a family member who is formerly or currently …
