2013 December

12.21.13

Media Roundup » 12/13/13 through 12/20/13

Nick Worner

* ACLU of Ohio Mentioned
- Prisoner and Reporter Talk about ACLU Lawsuit over Media Access to Lucasville Riot Inmates – Ideastream, 12/13*
- Redistricting reform needs to be a priority for the state’s constitutional modernization commission – Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/14
- Ohio’s 2014 legislative calendar will be crammed with election-year politicking and backroom pleading – Cleveland.com, 12/15
- Cleveland Police: recent slayings of transgender women are ‘crimes of hate’ – Cleveland.com, 12/15
- Cameras becoming part of police’s uniform – Columbus Dispatch, 12/15
- Judge: NSA phone program likely unconstitutional – Politico, 12/16
- Lakewood City Council OKs ordinance requiring city provide health benefits to same-sex domestic partners – Cleveland.com, 12/17
- Ohio online voter registration bill shamefully stalled by Republicans – Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/17
- Grand jury indicts DNA profile in Franklin County rape case – Columbus Dispatch, 12/18
- Prison company launches job-saving campaign – Youngstown Vindicator, 12/18
- Next police chief lives dream of life on beat – Toledo Blade, 12/18
- 17 people caught casting illegal ballots in 2012 election – Columbus Dispatch, 12/18
- Bill proposed to allow legally married same-sex couples to file joint income tax returns in Ohio – Cleveland.com, 12/18
- Colorado Courts Jailing The Poor Who Are Unable To Pay Fines For Minor Violations – Huffington Post, 12/19 *
- Executions in U.S.
12.14.13

Media Roundup » 12/07/13 through 12/13/13

Nick Worner
- Nick Worner commentary: Legislature bent on making voting harder – Columbus Dispatch, 12/7
- Unclear how Ohio religious-freedom bill fits with church-state divide – Columbus Dispatch, 12/9
- Cellphone Companies Reveal How Often They Hand Your Data Over to Law Enforcement – Slate.com, 12/9
- Agencies collected data on Americans’ cellphone use in thousands of ‘tower dumps’ – Washington Post, 12/9
- ACLU sues state prisons over lack of access to inmates – Columbus Dispatch, 12/9
- State school board member resigns after possible ethics violation – Columbus Dispatch, 12/9
- Akron teacher accused of racist post is fired – WKYC, 12/9
- Ohio House likely to take up voter database legislation this week, hold off on other elections bills – Cleveland.com, 12/10
- Bedford city and court officials refuse to release county subpoenas for records in probe – Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/10
- Lewis ’55: executive, University trustee, marijuana activist – The Daily Princetonian, 12/11
12.13.13

On Bill of Rights Day: Work to Make Rights Real

Tim Cable

In 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed December 15 Bill of Rights Day, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding document’s ratification in 1791. December 15 was to be, in Roosevelt’s words, “a day of mobilization for freedom and for human rights, a day of remembrance of the democratic and peaceful action by which these rights were gained, a day of reassessment of their present meaning and their living worth.”

In this spirit, Bill of Rights Day is an opportunity to look back at the history of individual rights in the United States – to mark our high and low points and assess our progress toward bringing to life the promise of our founding documents.
12.12.13

Ohio Legislature Bent on Making Voting Harder

Nick Worner

Below is an excerpt from an Op/Ed that appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on 12/07/2013.

It’s no big secret that manipulating voting laws is a partisan blood sport in Ohio. The controversies of 2004 are the stuff of legend, and in 2012 we saw a voting bill so obviously partisan that the voters themselves organized a ballot referendum to strike it down.
12.07.13

Media Roundup: 11/24/13 through 12/06/13

Nick Worner
- Gun-bill provision worries cities – Columbus Dispatch, 11/25
- Did Hamilton Co. prosecutor Joe Deters vote improperly? – Cincinnati Enquirer, 11/25
- Statue of Jesus sought near school that removed painting – Columbus Dispatch, 11/26
- Peter Lewis is praised at his funeral for his drive, creativity and generosity – Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/27
- Toledo prison officer attacked by inmate identified – Toledo Blade, 11/27
- Constitution Party, Greens seek to join lawsuit challenging new rules for minor parties – Cleveland.com, 11/27
- Senate must oppose Stand Your Ground Lite gun bill pending in Columbus – Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/28
- Ohio should not countenance the abridgement of voting rights – Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/30
- Rejected Ohio license plates: C IF UR PL8 IS OK – Columbus Dispatch, 11/30
- Legal-marijuana supporters lose big benefactor with Progressive Insurance chief’s death – AP, 12/2
- Early voting legislation a disservice to Ohio voters: Ellis Jacobs, Miami Valley Voter Protection Coalition – Cleveland.com, 12/2
- ACLU sues Conference of Catholic Bishops over hospital ethics – AP, 12/2
- JobsOhio does not have to turn over records, the Ohio Supreme Court rules – Columbus Dispatch, 12/3
- Consultants: Kidnapper Ariel Castro’s death a suicide – AP, 12/3
- Despite study, national experts still puzzled by rise in Ohio prison suicides – Cleveland.com, 12/3
- ALEC facing funding crisis from donor exodus in wake of Trayvon Martin row – The Guardian, 12/3
- Fight sends Lake Erie Correctional inmate to the hospital – WKYC, 12/3
- Proposed bill would protect expressions of religion – Columbus Dispatch, 12/4
- Ohio GOP Resurrects Voter Suppression Efforts – The Nation, 12/4
- NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show – The Washington Post, 12/4
- Kasich, Fitzgerald Oppose Effort To Repeal Death Penalty – 10TV, 12/4
- ACLU Letter to the Editor: Peter Lewis was not afraid to support issues outside of mainstream – Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/4
- Ohio Judge: Drivers Cannot Be Searched for Being ‘Overly Polite’ – Cleveland Scene, 12/5
- ACLU warns Lebanon schools about creationism in class – Dayton Daily News, 12/5
- Mason officials warn student about confederate flag – Cincinnati Enquirer, 12/5
- Ohio pulls plans to comply with federal ID law – Columbus Dispatch, 12/6
- Breaking the Chain – Toledo City Paper, 12/6