News & Commentary

In 2012, Mullins and Craig visited the Masterpiece Cakeshop to order a cake for their wedding.  After the bakery turned the would-be customers away because they were a same-sex couple, Mullins and Craig filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The commission found that the bakery had discriminated against the couple in violation of Colorado law, a decision the Colorado courts upheld. The Supreme Court today found that members of the commission had made statements evidencing anti-religious bias, and thus had not given a fair consideration to the bakery’s claims.“The court reversed the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision based on concerns unique to the case but reaffirmed its longstanding rule that states can prevent the harms of discrimination in the marketplace, including against LGBT people,” said Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the ACLU.“Today’s decision means our fight against discrimination and unfair treatment will continue,” said Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins, client in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. “We have always believed that in America, you should not be turned away from a business open to the public because of who you are. We brought this

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This week, the ACLU of Mississippi submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education opposing the proposed delay of equity in IDEA regulations and urging the department to swiftly implement those regulations. There is no legal, factual, or moral basis to turn away from our commitment to ensure educational opportunities and academic success for children of color and children with disabilities and to create a positive school climate for all children. See our comments below.

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union released a report today that shows fear of deportation is stopping immigrants from reporting crimes and participating in court proceedings.

The following statement, attributed to ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley Collins, is in response to a video showing a bus driver intentionally restraining a special needs student in a dehumanizing manner by sitting on and leveraging the full weight of her body against the disabled student while taunting her. 

The ACLU of Mississippi remains your Capitol’s watchdog and this year we knew we would need all hands on deck. Our legislative strategy sent all of the advocacy staff to the Capitol to lobby legislators using their specific expertise. With a robust legislative agenda, this year’s session was yet another challenge to the rights of individuals in Mississippi. Having the support of the full team made a huge difference.

Experts and Prisoners Testify to Extreme Deficiencies at East Mississippi Correctional Facility in Security, Health Care, Food, and Sanitation, Conditions that Create Dangerous, Violent Environment for Prisoners and Staff

Today, Governor Bryant signed into law House Bill 387, a bipartisan measure designed to improve the criminal justice system in Mississippi. In response, the ACLU of Mississippi issues the following statement, which can be attributed to Jennifer Riley Collins, Executive Director of the ACLU of Mississippi.

We are keeping an eye on two criminal justice reform bills that are currently in conference, SB 2841 & SB 2197. Conference on a bill occurs when further discussion is needed by members of both the House and Senate. A conference consists of three Representatives and three Senators who work together to finalize a bill. Once a bill is out of conference, it must go to both the House and Senate for a vote before heading to the Governor. The deadline for bills to come out of conference and pass the House and Senate occurs this week. Any bills passed out of conference will then be sent to the Governor to be signed into law.