Stories from the ACLU of Washington

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Bill of Rights Dinner Features Award Winners and Comedian Jessica Williams

Published: 
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
The ACLU-WA’s 2016 Bill of Rights Dinner will be held on Saturday, November 12 at the Seattle Westin. ACLU supporters will honor civil liberties champions and enjoy food, fellowship, and timely political humor. Awards recipients will include transgender rights pioneer Marsha Botzer, police reform advocates the Community Police Commission, and high school student activist Veronique Harris. Comedian Jessica Williams of The Daily Show will offer her pointed insights on our political scene – just a few days after the elections.
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Restorative Justice Offers a Powerful Alternative to Prisons and Jails

Published: 
Monday, October 24, 2016
Restorative justice provides an alternative that can help break the cycle of over-incarceration for many offenses.  Restorative practices focus on repairing the harm that has been done, rather than simply punishing someone who has committed an offense by locking them up.
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Silent protests of the national anthem present a teachable moment for America’s schools

Published: 
Friday, October 21, 2016
Schools must refrain from trampling the free-speech rights of students, but if that’s all they do, their work is incomplete. Rather than approach student protests as something simply to be tolerated, schools should embrace the teachable moments they present.
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With Bad Weather Arriving, City Must Address Urgent Situation of Homeless People

Published: 
Friday, October 14, 2016
While the City moves to develop sustainable, long-term solutions to the homelessness crisis, it must also abandon the ineffective, inhumane policy of chasing Seattle’s homeless population from place to place. Seattle currently lacks adequate housing for the number of individuals living outdoors.  People will live outdoors because they have no choice. 
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Intiman Theatre’s Wedding Band Marries the Personal and Political

Published: 
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Alice Childress’ groundbreaking play evokes a true story from the ACLU’s own history.
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Youth Matters in Sentencing

Published: 
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
The ACLU of Washington recently filed friend of the court briefs in three cases urging the Washington Supreme Court to align the law with developments in brain science.
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State Supreme Court Rules Courts Cannot Demand LFOs from People Eking out a Living on Government Benefits

Published: 
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Washington Supreme Court has reversed a lower court order that sought to collect discretionary legal financial obligations (LFOs, or court-imposed fees) from an indigent woman struggling to meet her basic living needs on social security disability payments.
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Humane Treatment Needed in Helping Homeless Find Shelter

Published: 
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
An ordinance crafted by the ACLU, Columbia Legal Services, and other allies provides a fair, balanced, and compassionate response to people living without shelter in Seattle.
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Task Force Issues Ground-breaking Recommendations for Opiate Epidemic

Published: 
Friday, September 16, 2016
A King County task force recently released cutting-edge policy recommendations about how to confront the region’s opiate epidemic. With ACLU-WA participation, the task force is continuing the county’s pioneering work in treating drug abuse as a public health issue, rather than as a criminal matter.
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State Supreme Court: DSHS must help incarcerated parents bond with their children

Published: 
Monday, August 8, 2016
A parent’s right to a relationship with her child is vital, and the state cannot take that right away without first providing services to help the parent bond with the child, the State Supreme Court ruled.
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State Supreme Court: Assigning employees based on their race is illegal discrimination

Published: 
Monday, August 1, 2016
The Washington State Supreme Court unanimously decided that it’s illegal for an employer to make staffing decisions based on race—even if the employer does not intend to discriminate.
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Lawmakers should act to ensure a parent’s incarceration doesn’t sever the bond with their child

Published: 
Monday, July 25, 2016
A ruling by the Washington Supreme Court has undercut the effectiveness of a law intended to maintain the bonds between incarcerated parents and their children. The Legislature needs to act to make sure the law can still make a difference in the lives of children.
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