News & Commentary

The world has been witnessing democracy in action. From Egypt to Wisconsin, citizens are exercising their right to free speech and association by demonstrating in their state capitol or town square. Unfortunately, just as Michiganders were gearing up to demonstrate against budget cuts and the undermining of collective bargaining, the Snyder administration banned all signs in the rotunda of the Michigan Capitol.  For years, individuals have been able to express themselves in the rotunda and hallways of the Capitol by simply carrying a sign on an issue that is important to them.  People have held up signs on virtually every issue ranging from opposition to abortion to support for building another bridge to Canada. The only restriction has been that the signs could not be attached to sticks. The decision to ban people from holding up signs in the Capitol is unfair, undemocratic and it raises serious constitutional concerns. However, there is much more than legal doctrine implicated by this decision. Barring Michiganders from expressing themselves with signs in the very building where life-altering laws are enacted places core democratic values at stake. Our democracy was founded on the principle that people have the right to oppose and speak out against government policies.  Equally basic to our founding principles is the idea that that government cannot pick and choose which viewpoints can be expressed and which viewpoints must be censored.  The Snyder administration’s decision to ban all signs from the Capitol rotunda violates both of these core principles. Yesterday we sent a letter to the Snyder administration calling on them to reconsider the decision to ban signs from the Capitol and immediately return to the longstanding tradition of honoring Michiganders’ free speech rights. It is ironic that at a time when the people from around the word are looking to America as the model for democracy and free expression, Michigan is moving away from those core American principles by limiting political speech in the Capitol. As state lawmakers make decisions that will impact every Michigander, voters should, at a minimum be able to express their views with a sign.

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.

In his State of the State address, Governor Snyder noted that welcoming immigrants to Michigan is essential for our economic recovery.

In this week's Rights Review, we're standing against Arizona-style racial profiling in Michigan. Also, good news for teen lovers, Bigfoot, and the 2,000 people U of M has banned from campus.

On the afternoon of February 18th, the House of Representatives hit a new low by passing the Pence Amendment. This extreme legislation would eliminate federal funding for all Planned Parenthood services, penalizing the organization for using its own, non-federal funds to provide abortions. If passed by the Senate, this measure would immediately jeopardize the health of millions of women, men and teens who rely on Planned Parenthood to provide basic healthcare services. In Michigan, Planned Parenthood’s health centers serve nearly 90,000 women and men across the state each year, providing access to safe and affordable family planning and preventative health care. These services include life-saving breast and cervical cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infections testing and treatment, pregnancy testing, HIV testing and counseling, and medical referrals. In many areas, they are the only provider serving low-income women. Federal funds enable Planned Parenthood to continue their mission of helping families in Michigan meet important health care needs and preventing unintended pregnancies. Not a penny of federal money goes towards abortion services, which make up a scant 3% of Planned Parenthood’s extensive services. We can't allow Planned Parenthood to be defunded, putting the health of millions at risk and challenging a woman’s right to make informed moral decisions.

In this week's Rights Review, local and national civil liberties news overlap in a big way — from politicians playing politics with women's health, testing the very limits of free speech and the troubling tale of brainwashing Carl Levin.Next Friday, be sure to check out the fascinating documentary After Stonewall at the Kalamazoo Civil Liberties Film Fest. Only two chances remain to indulge in dinner and a movie with our Southwestern branch, so purchase your tickets today.

Most people shudder when they hear about the Westboro Baptist Church’s protests at funerals, particularly the funerals of soldiers who died in active service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The protests are disrespectful and painful to the soldiers’ families, and, as political rhetoric goes, they are far from sophisticated. But can we use the law to silence those protests? This is a fundamentally American question.Our First Amendment guarantees a robust marketplace of ideas—even ideas that we despise.  In a resounding 8-1 decision yesterday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that we must allow even hurtful speech to ensure that freedom is guaranteed for all. There is no “funeral exception” to the First Amendment.