ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan

After a long hiatus, your Weekly Rights Review is back online, keeping you updated on the fight for your civil liberties.

We are keeping our ear to the ground and our nose to the grindstone to ensure that you stay informed about the current issues concerning your rights, both in Michigan and your country.


Michigan News

• Drug Testing for Benefits Recipients? How About Legislators?
  
  Drugs are everywhere in our society, from the streets to the penthouse. That’s why requiring mandatory drug testing in order to qualify for welfare benefits is simple discrimination.
  
  Back in 2000, we successfully fought against a mandatory drug testing program imposed by the state, arguing that it unconstitutionally victimized poor people (read more about the case). However, now the Department of Health Services is trying to revive applicant drug testing for those “suspected of drug use.”
  
  Perhaps we should drug test everyone who receives any government money, like our legislators? Since drug use is common across all socio-economic backgrounds, relying on negative stereotypes of the poor only vilifies those who need aid.
  
   Our Executive Director Kary Moss wrote an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press, detailing why this practice is not only unconstitutional, but impractical (via the Free Press).


• Schooling the Police on the Law?
  
  Walk downtown with a mask on, and you might end up teaching a lesson to Howell’s finest.
  
  Two high school students wore Guy Fawkes masks standing on a street corner to protest online piracy legislation SOPA and PIPA.
  
  Police demanded that they remove the masks. After the students asked for proof that this was the law, the offending officer did some research, found himself to be in error, and apologized to the peaceful protesters.
  
  We know what he was thinking of: we challenged earlier legislation restricting the wearing of masks to educational, religious, historical, or entertainment purposes back in 2000 (via the Livingston Daily).

National News

• Who Says the Constitution is Outdated?
  
  Despite the changes in technology and society, the Bill of Rights is still as relevant today as it was over 200 years ago. This week, the Supreme Court illustrated the continued importance of its ideals and ruled that the use of GPS trackers without a warrant violated the 4th Amendment.
  
  The progress of technology can sometimes leave the regulatory spectrum looking like the Wild West, but this is never an excuse for ignoring the basic principles upon which this country was founded. 
  
  You can help reclaim your 4th Amendment rights in this technological age by showing support for the GPS Act, which would regulate how your GPS information is used by law enforcement and businesses.
  
  In an era where technology progresses exponentially and power is abused by government entities, our fundamental rights require an even more vigilant defense. (via the Blog of Rights).

Learn more about issues you care about and take action: become a member, subscribe to our email action alerts, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

Ten years have passed since the first prisoner arrived in Guantánamo Bay. Today, 171 men remain detained there, plucked away from their lives and isolated without due process.

Back in 2002, civil liberties supporters spoke up and warned that policies being put in place would result in a decade memorable for torture, indefinite detention and massively increased political surveillance and religious discrimination. Those cautions turned out to be perfectly accurate.

Please join us on January 20 for a discussion of the current status of the detention center and how to fight back against the extreme national security measures putting our rights at risk.

Jay Kaplan, LGBT Project staff attorney

Last week, thousands of Michiganders spoke out against House Bills 4770 and 4771, urging Governor Snyder to do the right thing for Michigan families and veto this bad legislation.

This morning, Governor Snyder asked the State House to provide a specific clarification that the colleges and universities are exempt from the ban on domestic partner benefits that House Bills 4770 and 4771.

This attempt to dress up bad legislation is troubling, since this legislation would still take away health insurance from the families of public employees who work for the State of Michigan, city governments, county governments and public school districts.

Kary Moss, Executive Director

This week two interesting things happened – one in Michigan, one in Geneva.

In the city of Troy, Mayor Janice Daniels was ‘outed’ as insensitive and worse when she called out New York for allowing “queers” to marry.

Yesterday in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a historic pronouncement that that the Department of State will pursue a global human rights agenda inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities.