News & Commentary

The voices have been there for years, if you were listening – horrific stories of abuse of inmates at Los Angeles County jails; not by other inmates, but by the deputies guarding them. The brutal conditions could only have persisted due to the willful ignorance or even tacit support of Sheriff Lee Baca – and that’s why we’re now calling on him to step down.

I had vowed never to return to the United Arab Emirates. In 2008-09, I represented Naji Hamdan, a Lebanese-American businessman who was tortured for three months in a secret prison and prosecuted on baseless terrorism charges. I observed Naji’s trial in the United Arab Emirates and came face to face with the injustices of its criminal justice system. I had vowed never to return to the UAE but human rights abuses happen in every part of the world, and the case of the men the media are calling the “UAE 5” drew me in.

The ACLU of Southern California recently released its 2011 Annual Report. Below is a welcome letter from ACLU/SC Executive Director Hector Villagra.

James Clark, right, live tweeted the protests around Troy Davis' execution from Atlanta and Jackson, GeorgiaTroy Davis was executed by the state of Georgia last night at 11:08 PM, despite a worldwide movement over 1 million strong that drew attention to the glaring doubts of his guilt. With no physical evidence and a host of witness recantations, all indications are that the state of Georgia killed an innocent man.

Calling for justice under the Capitol building in Atlanta, Georgia.After a day-long hearing yesterday in Atlanta, the Georgia State Board of Pardons of Paroles today denied clemency to Troy Anthony Davis, in the face of a million cries of #TooMuchDoubt. Troy is scheduled to be executed Wednesday September 21, at 7 p.m.On the Friday before the hearing — the Global Day of Solidarity — more than 3,000 people marched in Atlanta calling for justice for Troy. Roughly 1 million people have contacted the parole board directly to urge clemency. We were all ignored.

 

 

No student trying to visit the website for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) from a school computer should be confronted with a stop sign.  But that's precisely what happened to a student in Virginia, which spurred our "Don’t Filter Me!" campaign.

From its synth-jazz theme song to its cheesy dialogue to the sage counsel of S. Epatha Merkerson, I love Law and Order. But the best part of Law and Order is the satisfying finality that every episode brings. No matter the verdict, Jack McCoy and the gang always get a cathartic sense of closure after they solve a case.Unfortunately, real trials aren’t so satisfying — especially when the death penalty is on the table.