10.27.14
Shackling: Ohio Juvenile Courts Should Have Rules on Restraints
By Shakyra Diaz
This is the third in a series of posts on the topic of juvenile shackling. This is Nate P. and I’m writing you this letter to let you know that cuffs and shackles make me feel like a criminal, not a “juvenile delinquent.” Shackles hurt and embarrass me most of the time. My opinion is… more »
10.24.14
Ebola Does Not Require Government to Choose between Safety and Freedom
By Susan J. Becker
Susan J. Becker is a member of the ACLU of Ohio board of directors and a volunteer attorney in the Cleveland office. When faced with a major health threat in this country, elected and appointed officials charged with protecting public health tend to employ a false dichotomy. Our government can keep us safe or free,… more »
Tags: Due Process, health care
10.23.14
Look What Else Ohio Politicians Are Doing to Block Your Vote
By Tim Cable
When Ohio’s legislature and secretary of state slashed early voting opportunities this year, the ACLU of Ohio fought it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. While that fight has received national media attention, there’s another ongoing battle for voting rights in Ohio that you might not have heard about. A Bad Law Last… more »
Tags: Let Me Vote, Voting Rights
10.22.14
Death by Secrecy
By Mike Brickner
Ohio’s death penalty has had a long and sordid history. Just look at the past decade: » Four botched executions. » Ten people granted clemency by the governor. » Fifty-six recommendations from an Ohio Supreme Court taskforce of experts to revamp our broken system. With botched executions and growing controversy around lethal injections in Arizona,… more »
10.20.14
Inspiring a New Generation of Activists
By Jocelyn Rosnick
Belle Likover and Susan Galloway It’s not where you’re from; it’s not where you are—it’s what you do. Long time ACLU supporters, Ed and Belle Likover are shining examples of activists who truly lived and breathed this sentiment. Ed Likover stood for what he believed in even if he stood alone, and his courage never… more »
10.17.14
Domestic Violence: A Matter of Civil Liberties
By Ellen Kubit
“…Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, which, among many other things, should prompt us to reflect upon whether or not we take these “unalienable rights” memorialized in the Declaration of Independence seriously. Acts of domestic violence are ultimately crimes of power that involve perpetrators who seek total control… more »
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10.16.14
Sounds of the Season: LWVO Takes Time to Listen
By Steve David
During autumn in Ohio, yards change to the color of campaign signs. And shifting as rapidly as the weather, the courts are handing down rulings about when you can cast your ballot. Just before early voting was set to begin, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a ruling that would have restored early voting opportunities cut… more »
10.10.14
Whose History: In Recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day
By Steve David
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And when he landed in the Caribbean, he enslaved and killed the native Taíno people in his search for gold. Fifty years after his arrival, the densely populated villages and cultural legacies were all but destroyed. And so begins the history of “discovery” in the Americas. Yet this… more »
Tags: Indigenous Peoples' Day
10.06.14
What the Supreme Court’s “No Decision” About Marriage Equality Means for Ohio
By Lisa Wurm
The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken: it will not hear any of the current seven marriage equality cases across the country. There has been a lot of speculation that the Supreme Court would hear at least one case. So by denying all of the cases, the judges are sending a message that they agree with… more »
Tags: LGBT Rights, Marriage Equality
10.03.14
ACLU of Ohio Receives Award For Combating Debtors’ Prison
By Jocelyn Rosnick
With so many nonprofit organizations working on important issues across the state, what made the Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations (OANO) present the ACLU of Ohio with a 2014 Nonprofit Excellence Award? For the past two years, the ACLU of Ohio has worked to end debtors’ prison across the state, and we’ve had some amazing… more »
Tags: Debtors' Prison