News & Commentary

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.

Each week, we run down the most recent civil liberties stories in your Weekly Rights Review.In the news this week: Oak is our King, basketball players play for equality and cities take positive action on LGBT issues.

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?

Each week, we run down the hot civil liberties stories in Your Weekly Rights Review. This week we cover zero-tolerance in schools, the trespass policy that keeps 2,000 people away from the University of Michigan, and the politics of spamming your professors.

Driving through a snowstorm toward Detroit, I wondered every time I lost control of my car "What have I gotten myself into now?" I've volunteered and served on the ACLU of Michigan Lawyers Committee for almost a decade. Even with all this experience, starting work as staff attorney for the newly-opened West Michigan Regional Office has been a revelation. For weeks, I'd worked alone at the new ACLU of Michigan office in Grand Rapids and I was looking forward to spending a day in the Detroit office for orientation. I arrived in Detroit after the snowy drive, relieved just to have survived. With barely a moment to catch my breath, I walked right into a press conference about our lawsuit on behalf of a woman whose city has banned the medical marijuana she uses to treat her multiple sclerosis. As the reporters and cameras left, our communications director had to rush off: the Michigan Supreme Court had decide to allow a case to proceed regarding the right of poor defendants to a competent lawyer and she had to prepare a response. She shot me a welcoming smile and promised to have a proper introduction over coffee. Our Legal Director Mike Steinberg told me that the Supreme Court had also just accepted another ACLU case defending a disabled woman who had been unable to pay child support for an amount double her monthly income. That day we also met with a man who has lived in the U.S. since he was a child, yet is at risk for deportation to a country whose language he can’t even read. While awaiting his fate in jail, he suffered horrendous treatment that just shouldn’t exist in a free society. These stories reminded me how essential the ACLU of Michigan's work is to protecting the rights of all our citizens. By lunch, my brain was whirling with dozens of cases, ideas and faces. Kary Moss, our executive director, later told me that this was a pretty typical day at the ACLU of Michigan. But for me, it was an amazing introduction to the breadth of work in which I’ll be engaged. Although I’m still not completely sure what I’ve gotten myself into, I know it is going to be quite a journey through the Bill of Rights. With the support of our members and my amazing colleagues, I know that I’ll be able to meet any civil liberties challenges that arise. That's more than I can say about another trip across the state in winter weather.

Tory Vincent, LGBT Project Leadership Committee MemberI became a member of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Project Leadership Committee because of my deep desire for a fair and just society.What I didn't know was that the ACLU LGBT Project, alongside other fantastic Detroit organizations, bring attention to a diverse range of equality issues. Nor did I know how fun volunteering for the project could be!{C}During the summer festival season, LGBT Leadership Committee members staff booths at events all over Michigan. Right after I joined, I staffed a booth at Detroit's Dally in the Alley festival. Petitions and letter writing campaigns are essential, but what could compare to raising awareness next to live music out in the sun with other amazing volunteers?As a volunteer for the project, I’ve seen first-hand the strength of the local community at larger events. In March 2010, the Project presented an incredible lecture by Dustin Lance Black. Over 300 people packed into Detroit's Museum of Contemporary Art to hear from the author of the screenplay Milk and show their support for LGBT equality.One of the most difficult roles the LGBT Project Leadership Committee has is simply keeping up with Jay Kaplan, LGBT Project staff attorney. In 2010 alone, Jay crisscrossed the state to over 50 speaking engagements on a whole range of LGBT issues.I was so impressed by one of Jay’s speeches, I even blogged about it. Before hearing the speech, I’d never even considered the issues he brought up. Participating in running the Leadership Committee has gotten me up-close and personal with a broad range of perspectives, issues and organizations.Even with all the work we’ve already done, I’m excited for all that the we’re planning! This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the ACLU of Michigan’s LGBT Project. What better time to get involved by joining the Leadership Committee?