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For more information, read "Civil Liberties and the Holidays."

The First Amendment also provides a second aspect of religious liberty: that the government may not establish a religion. Courts have come to accept that this means that officials cannot favor one religion over another or favor the right to worship over the right not to worship. What this means in the context of holiday displays is that government officials may not use taxpayer dollars or public land to erect a display that favors a single religion.

This is the part where those pundits start to fume, claiming that nativity scenes, crosses, and other religious displays have been a community tradition for years and that to forbid such a display is a violation of religious liberty.

However, as we are all allowed to post whatever religious symbols we would like on our own private property, how exactly are our religious rights being violated?

One only has to take a short walk through downtown areas in Northeast Ohio and all over the state to see that cities are decorated for the season. Most towns have displays that feature all sorts of holiday characters like Santa Claus an

As the end of the year approaches, what went on in the final days of the 130th Ohio General Assembly? When last I wrote about the Ohio legislature’s “lame duck” session, I provided updates on the so-called Heartbeat Bill and the lethal injection bill. From a civil liberties perspective, these were the two most visible bills but not the only ones. Here is a final update on what the Ohio General Assembly did in the waning days of this session: Heartbeat Bill House Bill 248 made its way to the House floor for a vote. However, this extreme bill, which would outlaw abortions before many women even realize they are pregnant, went down to defeat with 11 Republicans joining in to vote against it. Lethal Injection Secrecy Our members responded in large numbers when we asked them to contact OGA members in opposition to House Bill 663. As it wound its way through the Statehouse, the bill did improve via numerous amendments, but the fundamental problems that caused us to first oppose this legislation remain. HB 663 is now on its way to Gov. John Kasich’s desk for his signature. Following that, we fully expect this matter to end up in the courts. Traffic Cameras Much time was spent this session on traffic/red light cameras. The end result was Senate Bill 342, which requires cities to have police officers at traffic camera locations. This mandate will cause most, if not all, cities to abandon the use of this technology. It passed the House and Senate by wide margins and now awaits Gov. Kasich’s signature. Student Seclusion and Restraints Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly passed a bill that will improve the lives of vulnerable students. House Bill 178 ensures state regulations regarding student seclusion and restraint practices also apply to charter schools throughout Ohio. Redistricting With redistricting reform comes the hope of a legislature that more accurately represents the population of our state, which in turn, will lead to less extremist lawmaking. For that reason, you should know Ohio legislators passed a proposed constitutional amendment changing the way political districts are drawn in our state. As a result, voters will be asked in 2015 if they want to adopt these rules into the Ohio Constitution. The Ohio House and Senate will begin its next two-year session soon after the new year. As always, we will keep you updated of legislation that may affect your civil liberties.

Photograph courtesy of Rachel Woods It was pure activism in motion. The call went out and thousands came to have their voices heard by those in power. This past weekend, several ACLU of Ohio staffers traveled to Washington D.C., to participate in the National March Against Police Violence, sponsored by the National Action Network. The event, in addition to other marches and protests in New York City, Chicago, Oakland, and across the nation, was in response to lack of grand jury indictments in the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, as well as the deaths of Ohio natives John Crawford, Tanisha Anderson, and Tamir Rice, just to name a few.

To combat abuse of heroin and prescription opiate pain killers there are several principles we need to keep in mind and actions we need to take.