News & Commentary

Last Tuesday, we all heard the tragic news of the botched execution of Clayton Lockett, an Oklahoma man sentenced to death for the murder of a woman in 1999. Thirteen minutes after the medical technician had injected the sedative and three minutes after the two lethal drugs had been administered, Mr. Lockett’s body twitched, his foot shook and he mumbled. A few minutes later he lifted his head and shoulders off the gurney. At 6:39, sixteen minutes after the execution had started, Oklahoma Department of Correction’s Director Robert Patton halted the execution. At 7:06, Mr. Lockett died of a massive heart attack.

Last week, the Department of Justice announced it will be expanding the criteria used to decide which drug offenders are eligible for presidential clemency. This is likely to affect thousands of federal inmates currently incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. 

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

Approximately 20 million Americans, myself included, report some type of hearing problems.  As we age, this problem only grows more acute.  Hearing loss affects a staggering 29% of persons 65 and older.

As the 2014 legislative session comes to a close, I’m still holding my breath for five bills that have made their way to the governor’s desk. The governor has until next week to decide whether to sign, veto, or let the bills pass into law without signature.

This week PBS Frontline is airing “Solitary Nation” - a look at the use of solitary confinement here in Maine. Filmmakers spent hundreds of hours in the Maine State Prison documenting the facility’s use of the "Special Management Unit" or SMU.

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

Yesterday, the Maine House of Representatives voted unanimously in favor of LD 1686 – a bill that would expand access to the life-saving opioid antagonist, Naloxone (also known as Narcan). If passed, LD 1686 would allow first responders, police and family members of someone at risk of an overdose to possess and administer Naloxone.

A Pew poll out yesterday revealed that a majority of Americans agree it’s time for a new approach to drug use.