A federal judge in California has approved a settlement that prohibits the U.S. government from reviving the Trump-era "zero tolerance" family separation policy for the next eight years. The settlement provides social and legal benefits to migrant families affected by the policy, such as access to mental health services, legal representation, and assistance with reunification. It also requires the government to provide notice to families of their rights and to create a system for tracking separated families.
Posts tagged as “the American Civil Liberties Union”
The Republican-led General Assembly in North Carolina has passed a bill that bars medical professionals from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs and surgical gender-transition procedures to minors, with limited exceptions. The bill has been met with strong opposition from LGBTQ+ advocates, while supporters argue it is necessary to protect children from making irreversible decisions. The bill’s passage marks a major victory for social conservatives in North Carolina and sets a precedent for other states.
Police in Marion, Kansas raided the offices of the Marion County Record, a weekly newspaper, and the home of its editor, raising concerns about press freedom. The Marion County Attorney has since asked law enforcement to return the seized material and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called the raids a violation of the First Amendment. The Marion County Record has vowed to continue its work and its editor has said he will not be intimidated by the raids.
The Marion Police Department has come under fire for raiding the offices of the Marion County Record and the home of its publisher and owner, Eric Meyer. Meyer has accused the police of causing enough stress to his 98-year-old mother, Joan, to cause her death. Press freedom watchdogs and civil rights organizations have called for an investigation into the raid, which they deem a violation of the First Amendment. The outcome of the investigation is yet to be seen.
The School Board of Lake County and Florida education officials have reversed their decision to restrict access to the popular children's book "And Tango Makes Three" due to the "Don't Say Gay" law. The law, which was challenged by the ACLU and other advocacy groups, has been found to violate students' First Amendment rights. The book is now available to students in Lake County schools, and its message of acceptance and inclusion is one that should be shared with all children.
The Florida Department of Education has effectively banned the teaching of Advanced Placement Psychology in the state, instructing superintendents to exclude any mention of topics such as sexual orientation and gender identity. This ban has been met with criticism from many, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the National Center for Transgender Equality, who have both released statements condemning the ban. The College Board has expressed sadness at the decision and will continue to advocate for access to a full and comprehensive education for all students.
A transgender former student has filed a lawsuit against the Platte County R-3 School District in Missouri, alleging that the district violated their rights by forcing them to use the boys' bathrooms or the school's single-stall gender-neutral bathroom. The ACLU is seeking a court order to stop the school district from enforcing its policy, as well as damages for the former student, arguing that the policy is a violation of Title IX. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges to school policies that require transgender students to use bathrooms that do not match their gender identity.
House Democrats have introduced the End Solitary Confinement Act, a bill that would limit the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons, jails and detention centers, with exceptions for sleeping, medical quarantine, and deescalating emergencies. It would also ensure incarcerated people access to 14 hours of daily time out of their cells, including 7 hours of programming. The bill has been endorsed by the ACLU, NAACP, and NAMI, and seeks to reduce the number of people currently in solitary confinement in the US.