http://blog.aclu.org Because Freedom Can't Blog Itself Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:41:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The smell of popcorn is wafting through the Red Room at Hal and Mal’s in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. Moviegoers creep through the door, some tentative, others confidently waving at friends and familiar faces. The crowd is small — about 40 people. I recognize a local beloved priest, he himself “in ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/02/gender-bending-in-the-south-how-straightlaced-got-us-all-tied-up-in-jackson/ The State Department has published a pamphlet that will inform vulnerable workers who come to the United States on temporary visas, including domestic workers and guest workers, of their legal rights and the resources available to them. The publication of this document comes after years of advocacy ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/02/preventing-abuse-exploitation-and-trafficking-arming-workers-with-information/ We have learned that the Department of Justice will not be seeking an appeal in transgender veteran Diane Schroer’s victory against the Library of Congress. This is, of course, great news. It means that our case against the Library of Congress is final and that the groundbreaking ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/02/the-high-price-of-discrimination/ Good news, civil rights advocates: Late Friday, a Missouri circuit court judge struck down a proposed ballot initiative aimed at amending the state constitution to outlaw equal opportunity programs in the state. This ACLU victory is something to celebrate amidst the Supreme Court's recent disappointing decision in ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/02/equal-opportunity-triumphs-again-in-missouri/ It was a classic bait and switch: agree to abide by the Constitution in one respect and then create a new constitutional violation. That is what recently happened in our case involving inmates' access to abortion care in Maricopa County, home of "America's Toughest Sheriff," Joseph ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/02/the-games-sheriff-arpaio-continues-to-play-with-womens-health/ Last Friday Vice President Biden announced the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, the first time such a position has existed. We welcome the high-level attention this will bring to violence against women, one of the most critical women’s right issues ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/01/some-priorities-for-obamas-new-violence-against-women-advisor/ In his inaugural address, President Obama said: "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." This echoed a statement Ben Franklin made in 1759: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/01/only-accountability-can-repair-the-damage-done/ Specifically, when can someone else, who sues your doctor, obtain your records? According to the decision the Ohio Supreme Court issued today (PDF) in Roe v. Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region only under specific and limited circumstances. In this case, John and June Roe claimed that ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/07/01/just-how-private-are-your-private-medical-records/ In May 2006 at the Cheim & Read Gallery in New York, Jenny Holzer first exhibited her Redaction Paintings. The paintings feature formerly classified and sensitive government documents concerning American engagement in the Middle East, particularly after the attacks on the World Trade Center in September ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/06/30/to-see-with-ones-own-eyes/ Since 2004, the ACLU and its partners — the Center for Constitutional Rights, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for Common Sense, and Veterans for Peace — have been litigating under the Freedom of Information Act for documents concerning the abuse of prisoners held by the ... http://blog.aclu.org/2009/06/30/accountability-for-torture/