Nusrat Choudhury has been confirmed to a lifetime federal judgeship, making her the first-ever Muslim American woman to serve on the federal bench. Choudhury is a longtime civil rights attorney with the ACLU, and her confirmation is a historic moment for the Muslim American community. Her appointment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of civil rights lawyers and activists who have worked to ensure representation in the federal judiciary.
Posts tagged as “the American Civil Liberties Union”
A federal judge in Florida has temporarily blocked portions of a new law that bans transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers, allowing three transgender children to continue receiving treatment. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed the lawsuit on behalf of the minors, and the court will continue to hear arguments in the coming weeks.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors, making Texas the most populous state to enact such a ban. This has been met with criticism from the LGBTQ community and their allies, as well as medical organizations, who argue that it will put transgender youth in danger. The American Civil Liberties Union has already announced plans to challenge the ban in court.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has signed a bill that bans abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy and restricts gender-affirming medical care for people under 19, with opponents of the bill promising to sue to try and block it. The bill is the latest in a series of restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care that Republicans have been pushing for across the United States, and has been met with criticism from those who argue that it will cause irreparable harm to young people in the state.
Montana has become the first state to ban the popular video sharing app TikTok, with Republican Governor Greg Gianforte signing the bill into law on May 17th. Five TikTok content creators have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban, arguing it is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also criticized the ban, arguing it will trample on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans. The legal challenge to the ban is ongoing, with the ban set to take effect in January 2024.
On Thursday night, a group of migrants passed through Gate 42 at the El Paso border wall, just after the Biden administration officially ended the Title 42 policy. A lawsuit has been filed by the ACLU and other groups challenging the new Biden administration restriction on asylum, which took effect on Friday. Father Arturo Bañuelas was present to show solidarity with the migrants and to ensure their rights were respected. The Biden administration has stated that the new asylum rule is intended to deter illegal border crossings while also allowing for the processing of asylum claims.
A Missouri judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking a rule that would have required adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy before receiving gender-affirming treatments. The rule was challenged by the ACLU and the Transgender Law Center on behalf of two transgender Missourians and the St. Louis Effort for AIDS, who argued that it violated the Missouri Constitution. The case will now move forward in the courts, with a final ruling expected in the coming weeks.
A federal judge in Texas has issued a stay on the FDA's approval of mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortions, which has been met with criticism from abortion rights advocates. The U.S. Department of Justice and President Joe Biden have both released statements in response to the ruling, and the DOJ has filed an appeal and is seeking an immediate stay of the decision. The outcome of the DOJ's appeal could set a precedent for future cases and have a significant impact on access to abortion services in the United States.