News & Commentary

Throughout the summer, the ACLU of Southern California hosted a series of 'Brown Bag' lunch lectures led by attorneys, scholars, organizers and civic actors. This week, we are sharing highlights from these sessions in blog, video and Q&A format.

Every day, immigration detainees with severe mental disabilities are denied the basic legal representation they deserve. They slip through the cracks of our immigration system – unassisted, yet incapable of representing themselves. They suffer through unjust proceedings, and many of them are unlawfully deported – separated from their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, often the only people on Earth who know and love them.

Many have suggested that once a jury has spoken, that’s it. That’s true legally – an acquittal marks the end of the criminal case – but we need not treat the verdict acquitting George Zimmerman in the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin as if it were above discussion or debate.

As the mother of an African-American boy, the tragic, unnecessary death of Trayvon Martin and the trial and subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman have me heartbroken and filled with unanswerable questions.

Última actualización: 28 de junio del 2013

A little noticed surveillance technology, designed to track the movements of every passing driver, is fast proliferating on America’s streets. Automatic license plate readers, mounted on police cars or on objects like road signs and bridges, use small, high-speed cameras to photograph thousands of plates per minute.

The fate of AB 1266 (the School Success and Opportunity Act) is currently in the hands of Gov. Jerry Brown, after passing both chambers of the California legislature. The bill would ensure that transgender students have equal access to facilities and activities – such as gym class – that match their gender identity.

Carlos walked into my classroom on the first day of school and in a clearly practiced manner said, “Hello, Miss, my name is Carlos. It is nice to meet you.” He then took his assigned seat and for the rest of the period remained quiet and attentive, nodding to me when I spoke to him and bidding me a kind “Goodbye!” at the end of the period.

Learn how to protect your right to free speech by downloading our guide on First Amendment rights to demonstrate and protest.