Tag: ACLU

Human Rights Advocates Urge Congress to Support Establishment of a National Human Rights Institution

Stuart Mitchell

A coalition of civil and human rights and social justice groups recently officially announced their campaign for a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in the U.S. as they briefed Congress on the recent United Nations review of the United States’ record under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). During the Congressional briefing, advocates discussed key issues of concern raised by the UN Human Rights Committee, including reproductive rights, voting rights, and criminal legal system issues. The briefing also examined strategies for improving the government’s implementation of its…

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Busy Philipps Named as ACLU Artist Ambassador for Reproductive Freedom

Stuart Mitchell

The American Civil Liberties Union announced that Busy Philipps — New York Times bestselling author, actor, activist, and writer — will join the organization’s Artist Ambassador Program to advocate for reproductive freedom. This follows years of on-the-ground advocacy, from working with the ACLU in states like Ohio in the successful ballot measure to protect reproductive freedom in the state’s constitution to lobbying with the ACLU for the successful passage of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in Congress, and calling other artists and entertainers into action to protect bodily autonomy. Philipps formally…

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ACLU Supports Bill to Block Book Bans

Stuart Mitchell

The American Civil Liberties Union thanks Rep. Maxwell Frost for introducing H.R. 6592, the Fight Book Bans Act. This legislation would fight censorship by enabling the Department of Education to provide grants to school districts to cover expenses incurred when they fight off book bans. In a letter sent to the House of Representatives, the ACLU is urging House members to co-sponsor the bill. Over the past year, more than 3,000 books have been banned in schools across America. These books disproportionately feature stories about LGBTQ+ communities, people of color,…

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Members of Congress Join Rights Groups in Urging White House to Study Creating National Human Rights Institution

Stuart Mitchell

Nine members of Congress are joining a broad coalition of civil and human rights groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union in urging the Biden administration to establish a presidential commission to study the creation of a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in the United States to monitor and promote human rights. In letters sent to President Biden ahead of the second Summit for Democracy, the members of Congress and the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies (IAOHRA) stress the importance of a National Human Rights Institution to…

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ACLU, EFF Seek to Protect the Public’s Right to Access Judicial Records

Stuart Mitchell

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of an appeal filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The brief argues that RCFP has standing to sue to access search warrants and other materials related to the Stored Communications Act (SCA) sealed by a federal district court. The federal district court’s decision that RCFP lacks such standing — and to keep this vital information under seal — contradicts decades of First Amendment and common law broadly granting organizations…

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