News & Commentary

On Wednesday night at Bowdoin College (my alma mater), I'm going to give a talk on the first nine years of the Roberts Court. The focus will be on four areas of law - free speech, racial justice, privacy and criminal law - that are connected to my work as an ACLU lawyer who litigates questions of civil rights and civil liberties. But, I think these areas are worth focusing on not just because they are my job, but also because of their importance in the national conversation about what kind of country we want to have. These areas of law, each in their own way, tell a story about our relation to our government and our relation to one another that transcends the courtroom.

Finally, Election Day is here! Download our handy voter guide, and, if you think you know all your rights already but want to be sure, take our Maine voting rights quiz.

Last week, the public radio show “This American Life” dedicated an entire show to the connection between school discipline policies and involvement in our criminal justice system, a phenomenon known as the school-to-prison-pipeline.  

With exactly two weeks left until November 4, we are in the final crunch of election season. Political signs line our streets and television and radio ads for candidates play on repeat. While at times overwhelming, it is an exciting opportunity for us to learn about the different issues and candidates on the ballot. After reflecting on the issues that are most important to us this year, attempting to sift through the vast amount of information available and perhaps even watching a debate or two, we then have the opportunity to cast our vote, helping to shape what policy will be made and who will be making it during the upcoming legislative session.

Last week, Michael Botticelli, acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, made the exciting announcement that Maine would be receiving $7.5 million dollars to fight substance abuse through community education and treatment programs. In our letter to the editor in the Bangor Daily News today, we commend this approach. 

Earlier this week, we renewed our call for a shift in Maine’s drug policy priorities in response to an announcement that Maine will receive $900,000 from the federal government to ramp up the war on drugs in this state, specifically focusing on meth-related arrests. While more money to fight drug abuse seems like a good thing, this announcement left much to be desired. As we've said before, we can't simply expect the criminal justice system to solve what is fundamentally a public health issue. Until we curb the demand for drugs by investing in treatment programs, people will always find ways satisfy their addictions.

The New York City Corrections Department, headed by former Maine Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte, has announced that it will end the use of solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-olds by the end of the year. New York is one of two states in the country that charge 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, and has recently drawn criticism for the brutal treatment of prisoners at Rikers Island, particularly adolescents and prisoners suffering from mental illness. There are 300 teenagers incarcerated at Rikers; of those, 51 are currently being held in solitary confinement.

On Monday evening I attended a community dialogue with Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck about race, law enforcement and community relations, organized by the NAACP Portland Branch, Green Memorial AME Zion Church and Williams Temple Church of God in Christ. The discussion was a follow-up to a dialogue that took place last month in response to the tragic events that occurred in Ferguson, Missouri.

I learned about a law this week governing the use of solitary confinement, one that I had never heard of before. To be precise, this isn’t really a law – more like a very strongly worded guideline, albeit one published by an important federal agency. It says that an individual should never be locked in solitary confinement, except as an absolute last resort. It mandates that individuals, when in isolated confinement, must have the ability to socialize, to communicate, and to physically interact with other individuals.