News & Commentary

Earlier this week, both the Maine State Senate and House voted down LD 1428, a bill that would have authorized discrimination in the name of religion. The so-called "religious freedom" bill actually had little to do with religious freedom, which the ACLU of Maine has a long (and successful) history of defending, but would have created a gaping exemption to the Maine Human Rights Act. We testified against the bill last month, along side our partners in the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination, the LGBT Coalition, the Coalition for Maine Women, the Choice Coalition, and many more. You can read our testimony here.

February is Black History Month and this year it carries some added weight due to a very special anniversary: It’s been 50 years since Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – a landmark moment in the struggle against discrimination and inequality.

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

On Monday morning, the ACLU of Maine was fortunate to attend the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast, hosted by the NAACP Portland Branch.  It was a inspiring event, honoring the legacy of Dr. King. The keynote speaker was former Secretary of Defense, U.S Representative and U.S Senator, William Cohen of Maine.  In his address, Cohen reflected on racial inequality in the United States today.  Citing severe disparities in poverty, access to health care and incarceration rates, Cohen asserted that we have yet to achieve the vision of Dr. King.

In a fascinating Op-Ed to the New York Times, Yale Professors Jason Stanley and Vesla Weaver explore the impact of contact with the criminal justice system on political participation.

Exciting news out of New York as Governor Andrew Cuomo plans this week to announce an executive action that will create a limited medical marijuana program. Nineteen of the fifty states now have medical marijuana laws on the books with nearly one- million patients nation-wide able to legally utilize marijuana to alleviate their medical symptoms.

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

With 2.23 million people currently behind bars, our prisons and jails are vastly overcrowded, made up of too many people serving sentences for non-violent, low-level drug crimes. We have the dubious distinction of being the number one incarcerator in the world – followed by China with 1.6 million behind bars and Russia with 618,000.