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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Aug 14, 2014

To Terrify and Occupy

This piece originally ran on TomDispatch and was completed before Michael Brown, an...

By By Matthew Harwood, Media Strategist, ACLU

This piece originally ran on TomDispatch and was completed before Michael Brown, an...

By By Matthew Harwood, Media Strategist, ACLU
Aug 13, 2014

Send the ACLU to SXSW!

What kind of content do YOU think should be featured at one of the biggest technology events of the year?

SXSW Interactive gives the public a substantial say in its programming. This past March, our...

By Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union

What kind of content do YOU think should be featured at one of the biggest technology events of the year?

SXSW Interactive gives the public a substantial say in its programming. This past March, our...

By Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union
Aug 13, 2014

An Innocent Man Is Dying of Cancer on Texas's Death Row

Max Soffar has a long history of self-medicating. When he was four, his parents found him passed out next to their car, gas cap in hand. Since birth, Max's brain has been damaged. That damage has been made...

By By Sarah Solon, Communications Strategist, ACLU

Max Soffar has a long history of self-medicating. When he was four, his parents found him passed out next to their car, gas cap in hand. Since birth, Max's brain has been damaged. That damage has been made...

By By Sarah Solon, Communications Strategist, ACLU
Aug 13, 2014

Ten Years Without Other People

Every time they throw my brother into solitary, he loses contact visits. When we visit, he's behind glass, or we can only see him via video. We can't hug him. He can't hold his new baby niece.

My...

By By Nzinga A. Harrison, MD

Every time they throw my brother into solitary, he loses contact visits. When we visit, he's behind glass, or we can only see him via video. We can't hug him. He can't hold his new baby niece.

My...

By By Nzinga A. Harrison, MD
Aug 12, 2014

3 Reasons the Guantánamo Military Commissions Need the Senate Torture Report

On August 1, President Obama acknowledged again that "We tortured some folks." Last week,...

By By Marcellene Hearn, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU National Security Project

On August 1, President Obama acknowledged again that "We tortured some folks." Last week,...

By By Marcellene Hearn, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU National Security Project
Aug 11, 2014

2+2=5? Why South Carolina's Creationism Compromise Doesn't Add Up

Politicians in South Carolina don't have a great track record with science. Earlier this year, creationists in the state legislature tried to derail an 8-year-old girl's request to make the...

By By Carrie Ellen Sager, PFRB Legal Fellow, ACLU

Politicians in South Carolina don't have a great track record with science. Earlier this year, creationists in the state legislature tried to derail an 8-year-old girl's request to make the...

By By Carrie Ellen Sager, PFRB Legal Fellow, ACLU