News & Commentary

Your constitutional right to a lawyer means more than just a warm body.  That's why ACLU of MAINE Legal Director Zach Heiden will testify today in favor of standards for lawyers who provide indigent defense.  The hearing is TODAY, December 14, before the Maine Indigent Defense Commission at 1 pm at the Judiciary Committee hearing room at the State House in Augusta.  Maine is unique from many states in that Maine has no state public defender system.  We rely completely on private attorneys to take on cases for those defendants who cannot afford to hire their own lawyers.  The standards make a great deal of common sense.  The new proposed requirements recognize that certain complex or specialized areas of practice--including homicide, serious violent felonies, juvenile defense, and involuntary commitment--require more experience and skill.  For the specialized areas, the Commission will only appoint lawyers who have practiced for a certain number of years and who have handled a certain number of trials, though a waiver provision is available, to account for special circumstances. The Portland Press Herald editorialized today in favor of the standards in an opinion editorial titled, "Our View: Standards are needed for indigents' attorneys."  We agree.  Join us today in Augusta to help make sure that the right to an attorney means something.

Ken Horton at Harper's Magazine offers an explanation on why Wikileaks cannot be considered a terrorist organization, in response to media commentators and politicians that have suggested it be labeled as such:

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Many thanks to Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree for voting last night to pass the DREAM Act.  Representatives Michaud and Pingree demonstrated political courage, respect for human rights, and economic pragmatism.  In a nutshell, the DREAM Act would provide affordable post-secondary education and military service opportunities for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, have lived here for at least five years and have graduated from high school.  DREAM has the support of President Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. The economic arguments are so significant that the Wall Street Journal endorsed the DREAM Act.  They wrote in their endorsement: "Restrictionists dismiss the Dream Act as an amnesty that rewards people who entered the country illegally. But the bill targets individuals brought here by their parents as children. What is to be gained by holding otherwise law-abiding young people, who had no say in coming to this country, responsible for the illegal actions of others? The Dream Act also makes legal status contingent on school achievement and military service, the type of behavior that ought to be encouraged and rewarded." There are military readiness arguments to support passage of the DREAM Act.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote: "There is a rich precedent supporting the service of non-citizens in the U.S. military. Since the Revolutionary War, non-citizens have enlisted in the armed forces for service during periods of national emergency. Today, about 35,000 non-citizens serve, and about 8,000 permanent resident aliens enlist every year. The DREAM Act represents an opportunity to expand this pool, to the advantage of military recruitment and readiness." Finally, there is the human rights argument.  Young people like Selvin Arevalo who came to this country from Guatemala only wish a chance for a better life.  Please take a moment to thank Congressman Michaud by calling (202) 225-6306 or Congresswoman Pingree at (207) 774-5019.  After you call to thank them, call our Senators, Susan Collins [(202) 224-2523] and Olympia Snowe [(202) 224-5344] to urge them to follow our Representatives' light.  The Senate tabled the DREAM Act because the Democrats could not identify one Republican to support DREAM and cast the 60th vote.  Senators Collins and Snowe can lead next week in providing a path to citizenship for young people who only want to attend school or the fight to defend America.  Thousands of young people in this country would benefit...and so would we...if our Senators also show the courage to DREAM.  

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