open government

12.04.19

The “Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act” Explained

By Sarah Khan-Williamson

In March 2019, House Bill 164 aka “The Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act,” was introduced.  In November, it passed the Ohio House and is now on its way to the Senate.

Recently, HB 164 has received lots of statewide and national attention. 

11.01.19

Everything You Need To Know About the Ohio Supreme Court’s Criminal Rule 46. FAQ!

By Celina Coming

Why is Criminal Rule 46 important?

Criminal Rule 46 is the Rule of Practice and Procedure that provides all state courts with instructions regarding bail-setting procedures. This Rule therefore has the opportunity to implement bail reform across the state of Ohio.

08.07.19

Cleveland Police Need a Strong Policy to Protect Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Residents

By Emma Keeshin

Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) is in the midst of adopting comprehensive reforms, as required by a federal consent decree. While not specifically required by the consent decree, at the urging of ACLU of Ohio, Equality Ohio, Trans Ohio, and the Cleveland Community Police Commission, CDP has agreed to create a policy that will instruct officers on best practices for interacting with individuals who are transgender or gender non-conforming.

06.20.19

House Bill 205 – Proponent Testimony

By Dan Rogan

Below is our Chief Lobbyist Gary Daniels’ proponent testimony on House Bill 205. This was delivered to the House Criminal Justice Committee on June 20, 2019.

To Chairman Lang, Vice Chair Plummer, Ranking Member Leland, and members of the House Criminal Justice Committee, thank you for this opportunity to present proponent testimony on House Bill 205.

06.18.19

SB 3 and HB 1, Comparing Ohio’s Two Leading Criminal Justice Reform Bills

By Celina Coming

Right now, Ohio spends over $1.8 billion every year to hold nearly 50,000 people in prison. Many of those prisoners struggle with addiction, and many are locked up for simple drug crimes.

Throwing people in prison has not solved our state’s drug problems – but it has hurt thousands of Ohio families.

06.13.19

House Bill 3 – Opponent Testimony

By Celina Coming

Below is our Chief Lobbyist Gary Daniels’ opponent testimony on House Bill 3. This was delivered to the House Criminal Justice Committee on June 13, 2019.

To Chairman Lang, Vice Chair Plummer, Ranking Member Leland, and members of the House Criminal Justice Committee, thank you for this opportunity to present opponent testimony on House Bill 3.

06.04.19

House Bill 90 – Opponent Testimony

By Celina Coming

Below is our Chief Lobbyist Gary Daniels’ opponent testimony on House Bill 90. This was delivered to the House Health Committee Committee on June 4, 2019.

To Chairman Merrin, Vice Chair Manning, Ranking Member Boyd, and members of the House Health Committee, thank you for this opportunity to present opponent testimony on Amended Substitute House Bill 90.

05.30.19

House Bill 1 – Proponent Testimony

By Celina Coming

Below is our Chief Lobbyist Gary Daniels’ proponent testimony on House Bill 1. This was delivered to the House Criminal Justice Committee on May 30, 2019.

To Chairman Lang, Vice Chair Plummer, Ranking Member Leland, and members of the House Criminal Justice Committee, thank you for this opportunity to present proponent testimony on House Bill 1.

03.04.19

Criminal Justice Reform Efforts

By Dan Rogan

 
The ACLU of Ohio sent a letter to Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof, in response to his public solicitation for thoughts and ideas regarding sentencing and criminal justice reform in Ohio.

“To the extent any of these plans, legislation, or additional input from other stakeholders improves Ohio’s criminal justice system the ACLU of Ohio will be at least generally supportive.

01.16.19

Turn On The Cameras

By Dan Rogan

 
The ACLU of Ohio is encouraged by Speaker Householder’s stated plan to broadcast committee hearings in the Ohio House. Greater transparency and increased understanding of the legislative process will surely benefit all Ohioans. We hope the Senate will follow suit and do the same for all, instead of just some, of their own committees.

03.14.18

Sunshine Week and the Importance of Government Transparency

By Dan Rogan

Photo: Supreme Court of Ohio

Once again, Sunshine Week has arrived. This is the week advocates, activists, academics, the news media, and others call attention to the importance of laws that keep government records and official meetings open to the public.

03.03.17

What Does President Trump’s EPA Pick Mean for Civil Liberties?

By James Kosmatka

On February 17, the United States Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. This is the first step in what will likely be a complete overhaul of the agency, given his outspoken criticism of environmental regulations and protections.

02.17.17

A Free Press: More Important Now Than Ever

By James Kosmatka

“But I want to just tell you, the false reporting by the media, by you people, the false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder…”

If President Trump feels hounded by the news media, imagine how they feel being threatened by the U.S.

07.25.15

Does Ohio Need a Police Shooting Database?

By Shakyra Diaz

There has been recent public outcry about the disproportionate interactions with law enforcement in communities of color. To better understand what’s happening, Ohio could make use of a centralized database that would document instances of excessive force, lethal and non-lethal.

Earlier this year, two criminal justice students at Sinclair Community College in voiced support for a database that specifically would document instances of police shootings.

07.17.15

A Victory for Transparency

By Shakyra Diaz

Photo by Supreme Court of Ohio

For a person paying thousands upon thousands of dollars a year to a university, which has the responsibility to mold and educate them, transparency might seem like a simple request. However, for many private institutions across the country and in Ohio, right-to-know standards have not been the norm.

06.12.15

With Great Power Comes Great Accountability

By Ellen Kubit

Photograph courtesy of Rachel Woods

Change in the Cleveland Division of Police is long overdue.

After the U.S. Department of Justice publicized its findings from its most recent investigation of the CDP, the ACLU provided recommendations for how Cleveland police can fix their unconstitutional policies and practices.

03.18.15

Want the Feds Knowing You Went to a Gun Show?

By Shakyra Diaz

Photo by Kordite at Flickr Commons.

In Ohio alone, there are at least 70 public gun shows every year.

They are visited by collectors of antique firearms, historians, target shooters and hunting enthusiasts—and are often your neighbors. It’s estimated about one of every three Ohioans owns one or more guns.

03.04.15

Police Body Cameras Are Promising, but Need Protections in Place

By Shakyra Diaz

Photo: West Midlands Police via Flickr Creative Commons

Every so often, new or updated technology is introduced to law enforcement. The list includes tear gas, pepper spray, stun guns, dashboard cameras, and automatic license plate readers, among other things.

These tools greatly assist police.

03.02.15

International Relations, ACLU Style

By Kimberly Millhoan

What happens when delegates from various continents are in one room together to talk about democracy?

Last month we found out.

In early February, we met with emerging leaders representing Argentina, Botswana, the Republic of Korea, Spain, and Tajikistan as part of a professional exchange program sponsored by the U.S.

09.06.13

About-Face: The Troubled Launch of Ohio’s New Facial Recognition System

By Nick Worner

In June 2013, The Ohio Attorney General’s office flipped the switch on a new facial recognition program that allows the government to compare anonymous snapshots to the state’s existing database of license photos and mug shots in order to look for a match.