Latest From ACLU of Washington

The latest content and updates from the ACLU of Washington website.

Brooke Glass-O’Shea: A Passion for Policy

Published: 
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
As an ACLU-WA intern this fall, Brooke Glass-O’Shea has researched and analyzed a variety of issues, notably Seattle’s Community Police Commission recommendations and a proposal for sobriety checkpoints.  A self-described “policy nerd,” Brooke says that very specific legal issues are her favorite to research because she loves the details of the law.
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A Love Story: Macklemore Sweepstakes Winners Come to Seattle

Published: 
Monday, December 16, 2013
As part of our recent video collaboration with Macklemore, people from around the country entered a sweepstakes to meet the Seattle rap and hip hop artist at one of his sold-out shows!
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Patti Hackney: A Recipe for Social Justice

Published: 
Thursday, December 12, 2013
The ACLU-WA staff usually can tell when Patti Hackney is in our office because of the goodies that appear – scones one week, coffee cake another week, and occasionally smoked salmon. In addition to her passion for working on good causes, Patti loves cooking for groups.  “I get great joy out of feeding people,” she explains.
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Court Finds Public Defense Systems Violate Rights of Indigent Defendants

News Release, Published: 
Thursday, December 5, 2013
In an ACLU-WA case, a federal judge has ruled that two Washington cities have systematically violated the rights of poor defendants to have legal representation. The judge also ordered Burlington and Mt. Vernon to hire a part-time public defense supervisor to oversee whether poor defendants are receiving adequate legal counsel.
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Federal Court Finds Public Defense System Violates Constitutional Rights of Indigent Defendants

News Release, Published: 
Thursday, December 5, 2013
December 5, 2013 In a resounding ruling for fairness in the criminal justice system, the U.S. District Court in Seattle has found that the public defense system of Mt. Vernon and Burlington deprives indigent persons who face misdemeanor criminal charges of their fundamental right to assistance of counsel.
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School Discipline and Civil Rights: Lessons from a Visit to Baltimore

Published: 
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Children’s misbehavior should never be something they can’t recover from. That was the overarching message I heard on a recent trip to meet with leaders and advocates from the Baltimore City School District.
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Nick Crocker: Getting Informed, Staying Involved

Published: 
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Nick Crocker attended an ACLU-WA forum on militarization of police a couple years ago and heard Seattle police chief Norm Stamper speak on the war on drugs and criminal justice in our state. When he went home, he “got online and got involved.” Nick already had Mondays off from his work at an Italian food import store, so he decided spend his day off volunteering at the ACLU office. He has continued to do so for the past two years.
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Death row inmate almost pays the ultimate price. We foot the bill.

Published: 
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
The extraordinary expense of Washington’s death penalty cases was in the news again this month, with taxpayers on the hook for most of the cost.
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Henry Seeley: Pushing Back Against Those Who Ignore Civil Liberties

Published: 
Monday, November 25, 2013
Henry Seeley has always had a high regard for the ACLU, and chose to intern here because he considers it the best organization for getting good work done. As he puts it, “The ACLU pushes back against those who ignore civil liberties in the pursuit of efficiency of government, politics, religion, protecting children.  Whatever the cause, if they ignore people in the process, the ACLU is there to fight for them.”
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Kelsey Engstrom: Law, Society and Justice, Here and Around the World

Published: 
Monday, November 25, 2013
Kelsey Engstrom frequently studies ACLU materials and cases as a University of Washington senior studying in the Law, Society and Justice department.  Almost every article she is assigned seems to reference cases that the ACLU has been involved in. One that stood out was Cohen v. California, where the ACLU defended Cohen’s right of free speech to wear a jacket saying “fuck the draft.”
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