News & Commentary

In our society, putting someone behind bars is necessary after we are as certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the person is guilty.However, when we know that many facets of the system are broken and it is likely that innocent people have been thrown in jail, we must act to correct this injustice and balance the scales of justice.After serving on the Governor's Indigent Defense Advisory Commission and thoroughly researching the indigent defense systems in our state, I have no doubt that there are people in prison who are innocent and others who are serving longer terms than they would have, if they had a decent attorney defending them.Think about that. Is there anything more foundational to a society than making sure that the freedom of the innocent is not taken away by government? Knowing this fate has befallen some, due to inadequate defense and a broken system of justice, I made addressing this inadequacy a top priority.I am proud that because of legislation signed into law last week, our state has an oversight system that will ensure justice is meted out as best as possible to both rich and poor defendants across Michigan.That law forms the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, which will put protections in place that will ensure that indigent defense standards are the same in one county as in another, while allowing locals to decide the delivery system that best suits their citizens.As a former county commissioner, I'm happy that this legislation guarantees poor defendants will given enough resources to ensure they are given a fair shot in court while still limiting any additional costs that might be borne by locals in already cash-strapped counties.As a top conservative in Lansing, I have enjoyed the unique experience of working on this matter with diverse groups like the ACLU of Michigan, the Michigan Bar, the Campaign for Justice and the Sixth Amendment Center.Today, we can all unite in celebration that our elected officials have seen the injustices in our judicial system and put in place a solution that will protect the strongest foundation for our society: the focus of true and equal justice before our laws.

This week, we are fighting for all Michiganders’ rights to have fair trials and to go to school, regardless of their economic status. In the meantime, more scary (and discriminatory!) massive surveillance is happening, but we’ve got your back on that, too.

Everyone knows that the Supreme Court is a big deal—the decisions that the highest court in our land makes affect every individual in our country.  Rulings made in the Supreme Court influence the ACLU’s work greatly and the we've been involved in hundreds of Supreme Court cases. We're celebrating since the Court agreed with us and invalidated corporate patents on naturally occurring genes, but still biting our nails waiting for rulings to come down that will impact LGBT equality across the country. It can be tricky to stay informed, but just follow the simple steps listed below to get the news on current Supreme Court cases and how they can affect you and your community.

From couples trying to adopt children and to people on hard times: we're fighting discrimination against innocent people in Michigan. This week, hear up-to-the minute news about second-parent adoptions, banning free speech, and the government's misguided and dangerous dragnet of you phonecalls and DNA.

Andrew Goddeeris, Legal InternThis past weekend I had the opportunity to represent the ACLU of Michigan at Motor City Pride, and while I consider myself a strong ally of the LGBT community and have been to smaller pride events in the past, it was eye-opening to see such a huge number of people proclaming every person’s right to love.It is tremendously rewarding to be part of an organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights and liberties of all people, and to see so many wildly different people in one place proudly celebrating their identities impressed upon me the importance of the work of organizations like ours. We had a great time recruiting new members, explaining the work of the ACLU, and catching up with old supporters, all on a couple of beautiful days in Downtown Detroit.► See photos of our friends & allies at Motor City PrideIt was especially heartening to see so many young people proudly declaring their identities. I’m not too many years removed from high school, and I can still vividly remember the struggles of my LGBT classmates. There's a lot of work to be done to allow young people to feel comfortable with their gender and sexuality, it brought a smile to my face to see so many teenagers celebrating their pride.We had dozens join the us as members at Motor City Pride, but you don't have to wait to become a card-carrying supporter of equality and justice in our state: it only takes two minutes to join online.Comparing events like Motor City Pride to what would have been possible 40 years ago really hammers home the impact that advocates for civil rights and liberties can have on society, and I’m so glad I was able to play a small, small role with the ACLU of Michigan. 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. 

The government is tracking every citizen’s every move in a humungous, all-encompassing surveillance program behind closed doors, then a young protagonist reveals the federal government’s secrets and has to run away to foreign lands to avoid its harsh prosecutions. This sounds like some sort of horrifying science fiction movie; however, sadly, it is real life. By now, I am sure that you have heard of the new and alarming revelations about the government’s gigantic surveillance program. Here's the gist of it: the National Security Agency has not only been tracking almost every phone call made within the U.S. and between the U.S. and other countries, it has been accessing the servers of major technology producers like Google, Facebook, and Apple.  This information was made public through Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old contract computer employee who has worked for both the NSA and the CIA. Snowden is now seeking asylum, probably in Hong Kong, and U.S. officials are in the process of filing charges against him. Snowden joins the ranks of whistleblowers who have been put in legal hot water for bringing us vital information on how our government is really treating our rights. It shouldn't have to take destroying someone's life for the public to gain access to knowledge. In an ideal world, the information that Snowden provided would be accessible without the necessity of a leak. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives Americans the right to access U.S. government records and demands the openness and transparency that are necessities in a free and liberated society and allow citizens to make informed choices that are the basis of democracy. The FOIA (pronounced foy-yuh) requires government agencies to disclose any records that are asked for in a written FOIA request, unless the information falls under one of these nine exemptions. Unfortunately, the government keeps a lot of information, including documents and facts concerning its spying programs, inaccessible to the public by marking it as classified. In 2009, Obama signed an executive order that declassified some of the information that the Bush administration kept hidden, but government agencies still prevent government transparency through molding the FOIA to suit their own desires. Currently, we rely on leaks to inform us about the government’s actions. However, if the FOIA was consistently executed properly by federal government agencies, leaks would not be necessary and the American public could continually hold the government accountable for its wrongdoings. The FOIA has gone through many changes in the past, especially after huge scandals such as Watergate, which led to expanded access to federal files. Hopefully, this recent scandal will lead to similar improvements. The ACLU has been worried about an encroaching surveillance society, which was exposed in these recent findings, for years, and has filed many FOIA requests investigating it within the past decade. Most recently, in May 2011, the ACLU filed a FOIA request to access information concerning the “secret interpretation” of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, and these new revelations will likely affect this pending FOIA lawsuit. After this week's incredible disclosures, the ACLU has filed a motion to release court records concerning government surveillance. Take action now! Sign this petition to stop the massive government spying program and learn how to file your own FOIA request.

Revelations about civil rights violations have been bountiful this past week. We have discovered that black people are arrested for marijuana possession at a very disproportionate rate; activists have been told that they cannot hand out flyers on public sidewalks; and the government has been tracking innocent citizens’ phone calls.

It looks like the summer of 2013 is shaping up to be just like that of 2012 – all about vagina. Tomorrow morning, the Michigan State Board of Canvassers is holding a hearing that could be the first step towards ignoring the will of the people and forcing policy that would endanger women’s health through the legislature. If the Board approves petition language for this extreme ballot proposal, it would mean that opponents of reproductive rights would have a shot at enacting a law that cannot be vetoed by the Governor or challenged in the courts. Join us tomorrow at the State Capitol to make it known that we are not going down without a fight.

The ACLU of Michigan and the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the Grand Rapids Police Department’s longstanding practice of arresting innocent people for criminal trespass on commercial property without warning and without the business owner's knowledge.