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05.11.17
What is the real voter fraud, Mr. President?
By Mike Brickner
Following the November 2016 election, President Trump and his administration made claims that simply should not go unanswered, both because they are patently false and they pose a grave threat to our most cherished right to vote. The administration has repeatedly claimed that 3-5 million people illegally voted in that election, and have now launched a national investigation to look into it.
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03.14.17
How We Got to Muslim Ban 2.0
By James Kosmatka
Since 9/11, Muslims have been subjected to unlawful state surveillance, profiling, and deportation for imagined threats to the United States. This treatment has permanent consequences for individuals and their families and is a stain on our collective conscience. In his first days in office, President Donald Trump acted on his campaign promise of “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” by implementing anti-immigrant executive orders.
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09.27.16
Voter purges: It’s not about the dead people
By Mike Brickner
Last week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a serious blow to Ohio’s illegal and unfair practice of removing voters from the rolls simply because they have not voted for a few federal elections. The ACLU of Ohio and Demos challenged this process in court, and the Sixth Circuit Court decided that it violated federal law and must stop immediately.
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08.02.16
Voter Suppression Undermines Democracy
By Katrice Williams
Voting is a sacred American value. It gives each citizen their say in a government “of the people, by the people, for the people” While we may not agree on values or even the means to achieve shared objectives, we can agree that every eligible voter deserves unimpeded access to the ballot.
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03.23.16
Should the Government Determine Truth?
By Shakyra Diaz
The Question
Should the people at the Statehouse get to decide what speech is true and what speech is false? Should state judges have the authority to declare that people cannot air certain ads, post certain billboards, or hand out certain leaflets during an election?
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12.22.14
Not to be Forgotten: One Cleveland Woman’s Case Changed the Rule of Law
By Kimberly Millhoan
Life changing moments often come at us out of the blue and so it was for Dollree Mapp.
Early on May 23, 1957, Dollree was alone in her Cleveland home, enjoying her privacy. When her doorbell rang, she had no idea that what happened next would change state laws on how evidence should be handled and establish her legacy as a woman who spoke up for her rights.
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09.26.14
Fight for Voting Rights in Ohio Goes to the U.S. Supreme Court
By Tim Cable
After a federal district court judge ruled in the ACLU of Ohio’s case NAACP v. Husted that cuts to early voting opportunities in Ohio must be restored in time for the November 2014 election, Secretary of State Jon Husted could have taken the opportunity to accept the court’s order and begin educating voters about early voting.
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09.11.14
Why is Secretary Husted Defying a Court Order?
By Steve David
Update 09.29.14: Due to an order by the U.S. Supreme Court, Ohio’s early voting period has changed. Read our press release: ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Action on Ohio Early Voting. Go to our Vote Center for up to date information.
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09.09.14
Victory for Ohio Voters!
By Mike Brickner
Early this year, Ohio’s legislature and Secretary of State slashed early voting opportunities that had been relied upon by thousands of voters in Ohio. A week-long same-day registration period, all evening early voting hours, and all but one Sunday of early voting were cut from Ohio’s early voting period.
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08.27.14
Standing Between You & Your Rights: Is This Really Good Government? (Part Three)
By Adrienne Gavula
Part Three – Politics Over Health:
Following an accidental approval of Women’s Med Center that was quickly rescinded, state leaders launched an internal investigation that lead to firings and retirements. Roy Croy, one of those retired health department chiefs, said, “Someone had to pay…politics are politics.” The state investigation revealed that the Ohio Department of Health created a watch list of clinics, and data shows the state is treating abortion clinics differently than other surgical centers.
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08.26.14
Standing Between You & Your Rights: Is This Really Good Government? (Part Two)
By Adrienne Gavula
Part Two – Losing Access:
The law does allow clinics to be granted an exception (known as a variance) to the transfer agreement requirement if they can prove that an alternative plan is in place for emergencies. However, HB59 also gave the Ohio Department of Health director wider scope to deny these exceptions than was previously granted.
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08.25.14
Standing Between You & Your Rights: Is This Really Good Government? (Part One)
By Adrienne Gavula
Part One – The Bureaucratic Smoke Screen:
Since the 1970s, termination of pregnancy has become legal and accessible in most developed countries. In the U.S., however, women have experienced only barriers. With a focus on patients, opponents have used waiting periods; mandated, medically unnecessary tests; healthcare coverage bans; gestational limits; and required counseling to construct barriers to accessing abortion.
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08.15.14
ACLU in the Courts: Fighting for Your Voting Rights
By Mike Brickner
Five ACLU staff attorneys.
Multiple volunteer attorneys, clerks, and legal assistants.
Hundreds of hours of staff time fighting unfair restrictions on Ohioans’ right to vote.
On Monday, August 11, the ACLU of Ohio and ACLU National Voting Rights Project went to court in Columbus to challenge cuts to early voting that will hurt working Ohioans.
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06.25.14
1 step forward, 2 back on early voting
By Mike Brickner
This ACLU of Ohio Op/Ed originally appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer on 6/25/2014
Mike Brickner is senior policy director for ACLU American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.
“This is not what democracy should look like.”
It was my first thought as I watched the television on Nov.
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07.01.13
SCOTUS Scorecard
By Chris Link
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.