SCOTUS Scorecard

Last week marked the end of a historic U.S. Supreme Court term for the ACLU and civil liberties. There were huge victories. Wednesday’s decisions striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8 were historic moments for LGBT equality. And earlier in the term, the court unanimously ruled that our genes belong to us, sending the message that corporations should not have control over something as personal and basic as our genes. There were also painful losses. A serious blow was dealt to the Fourth Amendment as the Court upheld Maryland's arrestee DNA testing law, allowing the police to seize an individual’s DNA without a search warrant. And in a 5-4 ruling, Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was struck down, allowing states with a history of racial discrimination to implement changes to voting laws without any additional federal oversight. Win or lose, the next step remains the same. The ACLU will continue to work tirelessly to protect and defend equality, justice, and freedom.