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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Sep 17, 2014

Documents Suggest Maker of Controversial Surveillance Tool Misled the FCC

New documents obtained by the ACLU of Northern California appear to show the Florida-based Harris Corporation misleading the Federal Communications Commission while seeking authorization to sell its line of...

By By Nathan Freed Wessler, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project

Sep 15, 2014

Fear of ISIS Triggers Double Threat to Checks and Balances

Whatever you may think of the harms carried out by the group referred to as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the fear of ISIS is now creating a double threat to our system of checks and balances...

By By Hina Shamsi, Director, ACLU National Security Project & Chris Anders, Senior Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office

Sep 12, 2014

Today in Voter Suppression: Wisconsin Edition

Why does the state of Wisconsin want voter ID for voters? It's not to prevent voter fraud--- there have been ZERO instances of in-person voter fraud, which the state's 2011 voter ID law purports to address...

By By Faith Barksdale, Legal Assistant, ACLU

Sep 11, 2014

The Fight to Let Pregnant Women Work Reaches the Supreme Court

Peggy Young worked for UPS delivering letters and packages. When she became pregnant, she requested but was denied less strenuous work. She was then forced off her job.

We first told you about Peggy'...

By By Lenora M. Lapidus, Women's Rights Project

Peggy Young worked for UPS delivering letters and packages. When she became pregnant, she requested but was denied less strenuous work. She was then forced off her job.

We first told you about Peggy'...

By By Lenora M. Lapidus, Women's Rights Project

Sep 10, 2014

Missouri Lies About Lethal Injection, Still Puts a Man to Death

We know almost nothing about how Earl Ringo Jr. was executed in the early hours of the morning by the State of Missouri. Missouri deliberately hid crucial facts about its lethal injection drugs and their...

By By Cassandra Stubbs, Director, ACLU Capital Punishment Project

Sep 9, 2014

This is What the Fight for Marriage Equality Looks Like

A lot of people think that the fight for the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples is all about legal filings, demonstrations and news coverage. I'm here to tell you that it's not: it's about real...

By By James Esseks, Director, ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project