News & Commentary

Victory! Sexually abusive searches of female prisoners abandoned This week, with the help of our supporters and a coalition of civil and human rights organizations, we've confirmed that the Michigan Department of Corrections has ended a routine and extraordinarily degrading body cavity search for female prisoners. “There was no reason to make this incredibly invasive procedure part of the routine strip search,” said Mie Lewis, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. “The new policy eliminates the worst aspects of the body search, helping to preserve these women’s dignity while maintaining a safe prison environment.” Just because people are incarcerated doesn't mean that they should be denied their basic human rights. We are happy that the women at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility can visit with their lawyers, priests and children without being traumatized. Legislator

The singing ghost of Benjamin Franklin can protect you from police brutality, now that actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the Gregory Brothers (creators of the awesome Auto-Tune the News) have teamed up with the ACLU.

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).

Our justice system should be a place where freedom has no price and equality prevails. Sometimes reality falls short of these lofty goals, and it's often the most vulnerable who pay the price. This week we've been working hard to guarantee justice for all, representing five people thrown in jail simply for being poor. And they're not the only ones...

Just about everyone has at least one pseudonym online. Our usernames and avatars allow us the privacy and freedom to share information online that we might not dare to in public life. As a near-constant internet user, I probably have a dozen identities on a hundred websites. With one identity, I can anonymously submit a review of a local restaurant without worrying about spit in my food. As another, I can discuss private habits or political opinions without the fear or retaliation. This unique anonymity has fostered the amazing diversity of opinions online, allowing people who might otherwise be silenced, stigmatized or punished to express their views. However, corporations and public officials are increasingly using frivolous lawsuits to intimidate individuals online and discourage debate.

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

Summer seems to have finally settled in just in time to soak up some sun in downtown Detroit's Hart Plaza.

Civil liberties abuses are often felt first by the most vulnerable segments of our society.

With incredible cases and an amazing amount of support from civil liberties fans, it seems like we've been working around the clock.