Blog

After 18 Years, Death Sentence and Murder Conviction Overturned

Nancy Talner, ACLU-WA Staff Attorney

Friday, May 11th, 2012 at 12:31 pm

As of May 10, there is one less person on Washington’s death row. The Washington Supreme Court’s overturning of Darold Stenson’s murder conviction provides a vital lesson about the flaws of our system of capital punishment. Read More »

Eye-in-the- Sky Drones: Will Seattle Set Satisfactory Safeguards?

Kathleen Taylor, Executive Director

Friday, May 4th, 2012 at 10:11 am

A week ago, on a Friday afternoon, a reporter called us with news that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) had received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to employ two unmanned aerial drones it had purchased. City officials declined to comment. Did the ACLU have anything to say? You bet! Read More »

The Feds Make It Clear: People with Records Deserve a Fair Shake

Vanessa Hernandez, ACLU-WA Staff Attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow

Friday, April 27th, 2012 at 5:02 pm

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently updated their guidance for employers, trying to ensure that individuals with criminal records are not automatically denied job opportunities. The action is important for people I work with – people who are still being denied jobs because of mistakes they made years ago. Read More »

Colleges Withdraw Proposals to Limit Free Speech on Campus

Doug Honig, Communications Director, ACLU of Washington

Thursday, April 12th, 2012 at 4:18 pm

The proposals didn’t live up to constitutional standards in several ways. The ACLU-WA testified about their constitutional infirmities amid a parade of faculty members and students who roasted them at a public hearing. Read More »

Topics:

Free Speech

Warrantless Searches: Once again, Washington Supreme Court Protects Privacy

Doug Klunder

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 at 1:37 pm

If there truly is reason to believe there is evidence of a crime in a vehicle, it is easy enough for the officer to secure the vehicle and obtain a warrant. It’s only in cases where a warrant would be difficult to obtain — cases where there is nothing more than a hunch at play — that this exception comes into play. Read More »

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US Supreme Court Strips Away Rights, but Washington Law Covers Privacy

Nancy Talner, ACLU-WA Staff Attorney

Friday, April 6th, 2012 at 3:14 pm

Monday mornings can be difficult for all of us, but this week an extra distressing piece of news arrived at the week’s start. It was the United States Supreme Court’s ruling grossly expanding the circumstances in which a person can be strip-searched. It’s a reminder of one reason I’m glad that I live in Washington state. Read More »

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Secure Communities Program Makes Communities Less Secure

Shankar Narayan, ACLU-WA Legislative Director

Thursday, April 5th, 2012 at 2:09 pm

Earlier today, the ACLU of Washington joined a number of allies in the immigrant rights community, including El Comite Pro-Reforma Migratoria and CASA Latina, at a press conference in opposition to the ever-expanding Secure Communities (S Comm) program. The press conference was a response to the federal government's move last week, with very little fanfare or publicity, to activate the program for all counties in Washington. Here's why that's bad news for every community in Washington. Read More »

MLK and Race: The Ongoing Conversation

Eric Nygren, ACLU-WA Legal Intake Manager

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 4:15 pm

The ACLU of Washington’s offices are graced with moving and inspiring photos, including many of our past clients. Occupying pride of place in the ACLU conference room, however, is a vintage photo of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, April 4, 2012, marks the 44th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. Read More »

“Tough on Crime” Is Tough on Budgets: Ten Ideas to Improve Our Justice System

Nancy Talner, ACLU-WA Staff Attorney

Thursday, March 29th, 2012 at 4:27 pm

Isn’t it time to stop this approach to criminal justice? Don’t we have better things to spend the money on? Inspired by David Letterman, here is our list of 10 Ideas for saving money by putting fewer people in prisons and jails, and being “smart” on criminal justice instead of simply being punitive. Read More »

Topics:

Criminal Justice

End the Federal Ban on Syringe Exchange Funding

Mark Cooke, ACLU-WA Drug Policy Advocate

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 10:25 am

Syringe exchange programs save lives, save taxpayer money, and do no harm to society. The federal government finally lifted its decades long funding ban in 2009. Unfortunately, the ban was reinstated in December 2011 for purely political reasons. Advocates are now working to remove the funding ban once again. Read More »