News and Commentary

As the leading civil rights organization in the Lone Star State, we at the ACLU of Texas believe it is our duty to keep the public informed about the state of their civil liberties. The work we do at the legislature, in the courts, and in our communities is important, but there is no better defender of civil rights than a public that is informed and engaged.

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Apr 9, 2015

Walter Scott’s Killing Is a Direct Result of the Current State of Policing in America Today

It’s déjà vu. And it’s also a nightmare.

Police gunning down unarmed black men and boys is an American horror film that keeps getting replayed. Except that it isn’t a movie you can turn off: It’s a...

By By Ezekiel Edwards, Director, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project

It’s déjà vu. And it’s also a nightmare.

Police gunning down unarmed black men and boys is an American horror film that keeps getting replayed. Except that it isn’t a movie you can turn off: It’s a...

By By Ezekiel Edwards, Director, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project
Apr 9, 2015

Police Chief: Surveillance Cameras Don’t Help Fight Crime

Free Speech and Pluralism

Last month, the police chief of Lincoln, Nebraska announced that the security cameras watching over the city’s downtown bar scene have not proven effective in his department’s efforts to stem criminal...

By By Sonia Roubini, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project

Last month, the police chief of Lincoln, Nebraska announced that the security cameras watching over the city’s downtown bar scene have not proven effective in his department’s efforts to stem criminal...

By By Sonia Roubini, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project
Apr 9, 2015

Florida Politicians Want to Pass an Adoption Discrimination Bill That Could Have Denied Me My Perfect Family

My name is Anthony. I’m 16 and I live in Clearwater, Florida, with my moms and three siblings. I was adopted by my parents when I was 13 years old after having...

By Marc Climaco

My name is Anthony. I’m 16 and I live in Clearwater, Florida, with my moms and three siblings. I was adopted by my parents when I was 13 years old after having...

By Marc Climaco
Apr 9, 2015

Florida Politicians Want to Pass an Adoption Discrimination Bill That Could Have Denied Me My Perfect Family

My name is Anthony. I’m 16 and I live in Clearwater, Florida, with my moms and three siblings. I was adopted by my parents when I was 13 years old after having spent four years in foster care.

I...

By By Anthony Siegrist

My name is Anthony. I’m 16 and I live in Clearwater, Florida, with my moms and three siblings. I was adopted by my parents when I was 13 years old after having spent four years in foster care.

I...

By By Anthony Siegrist
Apr 8, 2015

Why the War on Drugs is So Bad For Privacy

Free Speech and Pluralism

In 2011, for the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon's declaration of America's "War on Drugs," I wrote a roundup...

By By Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project

In 2011, for the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon's declaration of America's "War on Drugs," I wrote a roundup...

By By Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project
Apr 7, 2015

NYCLU-Obtained Documents Reveal Secrecy, Lack of Court Oversight in Use of Invasive Stingray Technology

Free Speech and Pluralism

Last June, the New York Civil Liberties Union asked the Erie County Sheriff's Office to release information to the public about how it uses stingrays, which are used to track and record New Yorkers’...

By By Mariko Hirose, Staff Attorney, NYCLU

Last June, the New York Civil Liberties Union asked the Erie County Sheriff's Office to release information to the public about how it uses stingrays, which are used to track and record New Yorkers’...

By By Mariko Hirose, Staff Attorney, NYCLU