News & Commentary

Everyone likes to get out in public this time of the year, and that includes protesters, picketers and petitioners on the street and in city parks. Read this week's Rights Review to hear more about how you can participate in our work defending the First Amendment.

Coming back from summer vacation a little red? The oppressive weather hasn't slowed us down.

On this date in 1964, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law to address gender-based discrimination in the workplace.

Broken laws, broken lives, and a broken system. In this week's Rights Review, we hear what the former Mayor of Detroit thinks of our work. Also, are you mad about Michigan's law allowing discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity? 

The American Civil Liberties Union and Yale University have teamed up to defend students right to access information as part of their Don’t Filter Me Project. Schools across the country have been using web filters to block educational websites supportive of LGBT issues, including schools right here in Michigan. These illegal filters essentially silence LGBT voices from schools.

It's not always easy keeping up to date on all the civil liberties issues we deal with. That's why once a week, we run down recent news and events in our Rights Review. This week we're shocked at news that puts health care for Michigan workers at risk, we're letting free speech out of its cage and asking the question: why hasn't your privacy been protected since MacGyver was on air?

From protests at the Michigan Capitol, preachers in the school cafeteria, and police officer's closed door policies we're shaking things up on the civil liberties front. The Kalamazoo Civil Liberties Film Fest concludes Friday, March 25th with George Orwell's dystopian vision, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Don't miss out, purchase your tickets today.

Each week, we run down the hot civil liberties stories in your Weekly Rights Review.This week we cover counseling for LGBT high school students, the difference between a jail cell and a motel room, and the eternal question: who polices the police?