News & Commentary

By Jeffery Robinson, ACLU Deputy Legal Director

In response to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban found “unequivocally” unconstitutional in federal court, Joshua Tom, legal director of the ACLU of Mississippi, had the following statement:

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an international and annual observance held on November 20 to honor those who have lost their lives violently due to anti-transgender hate or prejudice. TDOR also serves to raise awareness of hate crimes against transgender people.

By Dennis Parker, Director, ACLU Racial Justice Program

Against the backdrop of racially charged comments by elected officials, Jeff Robinson, deputy legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union, will lead a conversation on the history of racism in Mississippi and America on Monday, November 19, 2018 at 6 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex Theatre.“A Front Row Seat” will offer insight into the state’s history of slavery, slave patrols, lynchings, black codes, Jim Crow, and modern-day mass incarceration the night before the final debate between candidates for U.S. Senate in the special runoff election. The event will take audience members through a historic exploration of racial terrorism on a local and national level. There will also be an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.

The Jackson Police Department recently announced that it has deployed 60 officers who are now equipped with body-worn cameras (BWCs). While BWCs can serve as a win-win for police departments and the communities they serve, they can only be effective when adopted alongside policies that balance police protection, and citizen privacy. The below statement may be attributed to ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins:

Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith recently made racially-charged comments during a campaign rally in Tupelo. Yesterday, standing beside and defended by Gov. Phil Bryant, she refused to clarify her comments when repeatedly asked. The senator has yet to apologize for making comments she has attempted to characterize as a joke about attending a public hanging.

By Gabriela Meléndez Olivera, Political Communications Manager, ACLUThis week’s midterms should send a strong message to the political establishment that when our civil rights and civil liberties are on the line, American voters will step in. Decision-makers should be taking close note of Tuesday’s sky-high turnout, an unprecedented wave of victories for diverse candidates, and a slew of local milestones for voting rights, criminal justice, and more.We’re here to help guide them. Below is an initial to-do list for the members of the 116th Congress. It encompasses just some of our priority bills that members should take up to help

WASHINGTON — American voters chose their representatives to the 116th Congress in the midterm elections on Tuesday, which resulted in a Democratic-majority House of Representatives and a Republican-majority Senate.As the new Congress is gaveled in, the American Civil Liberties Union will engage lawmakers to protect and expand the civil liberties and civil rights of their constituents: the right to a just immigration and criminal system free from abuse and discrimination; the right to vote; the right to a harassment-free workplace; and the right to fully-lived equality for LGBTQ and people of all identities. More information on the ACLU’s 116th Congressional agenda and the type of issues the organization will score is here: https://www.aclu.org/fact-sheet/aclu-civil-rights-and-civil-liberties-116th-congress-agenda.Faiz Shakir, national political director of the ACLU, had the following response:“American voters made their voices heard Tuesday night and one thing came across clearly: when voters are asked directly to vote on Trump’s unconstitutional and discriminatory agenda, they side with civil rights and civil liberties.“In the months to come, the ACLU will be pushing for a robust agenda to include expanding voting rights, passing sentencing reform, moving quickly on the Equality Act, and protecting Dreamers, among others. We will hold this Congress accountable to their constituents, to the rights and protections guaranteed in our constitution, and to the principles that drove them to the polls in this election.“But before the 116th Congress is seated, the 115th must demonstrate that it heard the people last night. There is still a budget resolution to pass, and elected representatives should make absolutely clear that it will not include any additional funding for a border wall, and that there will be real accountability if that budget is used for Trump’s anti-immigration wishlist.”