News & Commentary

DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan applauded the Michigan Liquor Control Commission’s decision today to stop enforcing its rule barring businesses with liquor licenses from displaying election signs. The ACLU of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit last week on behalf the Aut Bar, a popular restaurant and bar in Ann Arbor, arguing that the rule violated the First Amendment. “With the election just two weeks away, we are pleased that the Liquor Control Commission has agreed to stop enforcing an archaic rule that violated the free speech rights of Michigan bar and restaurant owners for more than 50 years,” said Michael J. Steinberg, ACLU of Michigan legal director. “As of today, restaurant, bars and liquor store owners throughout the state are free to display election signs on their own property without fear of being fined or losing their liquor license.” In its lawsuit, the ACLU of Michigan argued that the MLCC rule violated the First Amendment by denying individuals who own businesses that sell alcohol their fundamental right to express their views about political candidates while allowing signs on virtually any other topic -- including commercial signs, signs about ballot initiatives and advocacy signs addressing social issues. In addition to agreeing to stop enforcing the rule, the MLCC has agreed to expedite the process to officially rescind the no-election-signs rule, which took effect in 1954. Before the ACLU case was filed, the penalty for violating the rule ranged from a $300 fine to loss of a liquor license. Several weeks ago, Aut Bar owner Martin Contreras posted signs in front of his business supporting John Dingell for Congress and Carole Kuhnke for Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge. However, after learning about the no-election-signs rule and consulting with the Liquor Control Commission staff, he removed the signs. In light of this decision, the signs will be posted again immediately. “When my partner and I opened the Aut Bar 17 years ago we wanted to open a positive and affirming gathering place for the men and women of the gay community, their families and friends,” said Contreras at the time the lawsuit was filed. “Our goal was not only to provide great food, but also a safe place for networking and information sharing especially surrounding political decisions that impact our families." In addition to Steinberg, Contreras and the Aut Bar are represented by ACLU Cooperating Attorney Genevieve E. Scott.

The last few months, I have spoken with dozens of kids in Highland Park, ranging in age from eight to sixteen. Like kids everywhere, they have hopes and dreams of going to college, having successful careers and giving back to their community.But unlike students in other districts, these kids have been short-changed. They don’t have up-to-date textbooks and, in many cases, they aren't given books at all. They certainly don’t have materials to take home and study after school.These students struggle to learn in schools with broken windows, leaky ceilings and no heat in the winter. I've seen this tragedy first hand, in the faces of parents and students who are afraid of what the future holds for their education.Reporters from CNN heard about the conditions from us and came out to Highland Park to see conditions for themselves.After interviewing teachers, students, parents and our executive director, what kind of a picture did they get about what's happening to education in our state? Check out the video to find out.

Let’s face it: the emotions on both sides of the emergency manager law controversy have been extreme. Public Act 4 of 2011 allows the Governor to appoint individuals who can suspend the authority of mayors and city councils and administer and legislate in their place. On the one hand, some supporters of this law warn of economic catastrophe of epic proportions if emergency managers are not allowed to save the day. On the other hand, some opponents of the law contend that the powers of emergency managers are so broad that a more appropriate name for Public Act 4 is “The Emergency Dictator Law.” After a notorious, hard-fought court battle, Michigan’s voters will, in November, have a chance to decide with their ballots whether Public Act 4 is retained or scrapped. At the ACLU of Michigan, we don’t claim to be experts in economics or municipal budget issues. Whether emergency managers can effectively rescue failing economies is not a debate that we enter. We are however charged with protecting the civil rights of Michigan’s people, and it appeared to us that certain rights to representative democracy have been affected by the emergency manager law. We were also concerned about repeated accusations of racial bias in the law’s implementation. To learn more, we hit the streets to speak directly with elected officials, public employees, community activists, everyday citizens and even emergency managers themselves. The product of those conversations and related research is a full report titled: “Unelected & Unaccountable: Emergency Managers and Public Act 4’s Threat to Representative Democracy.” So what are our conclusions after talking with folks? Emergency managers are a threat to representative democracy for the simple reason that they are not elected but nevertheless possess governmental authority intended for persons who were elected.

Just a week ago, hundreds of Michigan men and women came out for the HANDS OFF! Rally for Reproductive Justice. Not only was it truly inspiring, it was liberating to turn heads in my “Vagina” t-shirt, demonstrate that I value autonomy over my own body via some not-so-coordinated dance moves, and to be one amongst a huge community of people who rallied and danced in solidarity. While I took pride in my own participation, dancing alone would not have been as fun, and the resounding echo of “vagina” that reverberated around the halls of the Capitol would definitely have been less powerful if there weren’t so many other voices there to chant with me. It is so important to keep in mind that we are one of many voices, and while we not only have the right to exercise our ability to make our individual voices heard, we also rely on each other to show up at the polls and vote.

As Michigan legislators saw other states quickly upping the ante with extreme war on women policies like personhood amendments and vaginal probe laws, they must have grown tired of our state merely being a face in the crowd.So what else is there to do but dole out their own special brand of bat-crackers crazy in the form of Michigan's outrageous, monster War on Women Mega Bill.We’ve written about the War on Women Mega Bill before, which combines every attack on women's health into the greatest assault on reproductive rights in our state’s history.Initially, we tried to take the more traditional routes: we packed committee rooms with supporters but were denied the opportunity to testify; we proposed amendments to the bills only to witness our female, pro-choice allies in the House get banned from speaking; we recruited credible experts to testify against the bills only to witness their words fall on deaf ears.It soon became obvious that we had to get creative.Ok Michigan Legislature… We'll meet you at the Capitol on September 20th and channel our rage and frustration into dance!On September 20th the ACLU of Michigan, in partnership with Planned Parenthood, is taking over Michigan’s Capitol by staging a flashmob and rally on the Capitol lawn. Because our best hope for preventing this dangerous legislation from being signed into law is to keep the movement (literally) moving.So please, watch our instructional video of the “Hands Off Dance” and master the moves we like to call the “Can’t Say It” and the “Pelvic Exam.”Then make plans to join us in Lansing on September 20th with your dancing shoes on and protest signs in hand all for the sake of protecting women’s access to healthcare in Michigan.The dance-off is just the tip of the iceberg. The huge community of people in Michigan who are tired of politicians interfering with a woman’s ability to make personal health decisions, have been very busy this summer, and have been sending their message to Michigan legislators loud and clear.They silence female legislators from speaking out in opposition to the Mega-Bill? We'll make vagina the talk of the summer.They prevent over 90 women from testifying against legislation that will directly affect them? We'll pay you a visit on the Capitol lawn with Eve Ensler and 5,000 of our supporters in tow and grace you with a performance of The Vagina Monologues.They want to play doctor by making medical decisions for Michigan women? We'll solicit your stellar medical advice by finding 1000 ways to ask about menstrual cramp relief in 140 characters or less.We won’t stop standing up (and dancing) in support of women’s health. Please join us.If you can’t make it to the Capitol on Sept 20, send a message to Michigan Governor, copying key politicians. Tell lawmakers not to put politics over women’s health.By Merissa Kovach, Field Organizer and Maggie McGuire, Communications Associate

Today is the first day that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin accepting applications for the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program, more commonly known as “DREAM Deferred Action.” For young immigrants who entered the U.S. as children, grew up in the U.S., have pursued education and avoided criminal conduct, this program is intended to provide relief from deportation and the chance at a productive future that the often introduced, very bipartisan, and never quite passed “DREAM Act” has represented for the past decade. Part of the idea behind the DREAM Act is that regardless of the legal or moral culpability undocumented adults have, children shouldn’t be punished for their parent's actions. Under current immigration law, the majority of young people who lack legal immigration status and have graduated from U.S. high schools have no way to legalize their immigration status while within the U.S. and no way to return to their home countries and apply to re-enter legally.

During the many years I practiced as a criminal defense attorney, I filed more pleadings requesting additional resources to investigate facts, more funding to support research into mitigating factors in my clients’ cases, and more time to properly prepare my case than I ever thought I would, or should have to. Unfortunately, the criminal justice systems in which I practiced did not provide sufficient resources for an attorney to be effective in her work representing the poor. Sadly, many systems across the nation face this same challenge. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright decision, which guaranteed counsel to indigent (poor) defendants in felony cases, we still have systems in this country that only provide a few bucks per defendant for representation meant to secure their life and liberty. And you get what you pay for. Michigan, for instance, where much of the indigent defense system relies on attorneys assigned to cases by judges and funded by the counties, is rife with the stories of poor defendants afforded shockingly minimal legal representation.

It looks like some Michigan politicians want to “play doctor” and take away a woman’s ability to make personal, private medical decisions for herself. In June, Michigan vaulted to the top of the list of states with outrageous, regressive legislation on women's health by placing a monster omnibus package of bills (House Bills 5711, 5712 and 5713) on the fast-track to becoming law. The War on Women Mega Bill was passed in the House and if it survives in the Senate, it would effectively make safe abortion services inaccessible in the state. Since several Michigan politicians so clearly "wanna be your doc," let's give them the chance. Use our tweet generator to automatically create a tweet with your most pressing medical questions targeting key Michigan politicians. Once they receive enough questions, perhaps they'll realize that that they are NOT medical professionals, should stop far-reaching anti-abortion measures, including HB 5711, from passing and allow real doctors to provide the best care for their patients. Try it out and share with your friends on Twitter. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #SoYouWannaBe MyDoc and #MIMegaBill to be a part of and follow this conversation. Let’s send our state's extreme politicians a message: it’s never OK to put politics over women’s health, and it’s essential that they keep the state’s women’s health centers open. By Rana Elmir, Communications Director

Apparently, things are getting a little heated out there in Lansing. Despite massive public opposition, the Michigan House of Representatives passed an omnibus abortion bill (which we told you about here) that could shut down clinics that provide safe, legal abortions and end medication abortions throughout the state. Decorum was shattered. Gavels were struck. But not because lawmakers passed an extreme and dangerous law; a law that so clearly threatens the health and lives of all Michigan women. No, because Rep. Lisa Brown – that saucy minx – talked about her hoo-hah. Testifying against the bill, she told the Speaker "I'm flattered you are interested in my vagina, but no means no." Today, she and Rep. Barb Byrum (who reportedly shouted the word “vasectomy” out of turn) have been banned from speaking on the floor of the House. Uh guys, I think you missed the point. Did you think no one would notice when you passed this bill? Did you see what happened in Virginia this year? Allow me to remind you: The Governor of Virginia and the state legislature pushed through an extremely controversial mandatory ultrasound law (and if you think even saying the word “vagina” in the state legislature is bad, you should see the props they pulled out for this one). The people of Virginia did not want their government to do this. The people of Virginia are now pissed off. According to a poll released this spring, voter approval for the Governor and Legislature has plummeted to new lows among both men and women and across party lines. In fact, according to the poll, this is the first time the Virginia Legislature has ever received a “negative grade” from Virginia voters. The poll also revealed that 72 percent of Virginians do not want the government using its resources to interfere with a woman’s personal and private decisions about abortion. I wonder what will happen in Virginia this November. It’s not too late in Michigan, though. You can ensure this bill never becomes law. You can get back to the work you were actually elected to do. I bet no one will talk about vaginas if you do. By Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project