News & Commentary

Today, we can make history.  Maine can be the first state in the country to pass marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples at the ballot box.  This is about treating all Maine families with dignity and respect and equal protection under the law.  It's about honoring love and fairness and equality.The polls are incredibly close.  Question 1 will be decided by voter turn-out.IT IS UP TO YOU:1. VOTE NO ON 1.   Let's not repeal equality.  To find your polling place, go here: http://www.protectmaineequality.org/pollingplace.cfm2. Tell Ten Friends.  You will have more influence over your friends and family members than any campaign ads or volunteer canvassers could have.  Take ten minutes to call or text message ten friends to vote No on 1.  Update your Facebook status and your Twitter with a reminder to all your friends and family members to vote No on 1 to protect Maine equality.3. Volunteer.  It's not too late.  The ACLU of MAINE and ACLU of Massachusetts teams will be canvassing York County.  In Portland, phone bankers are still needed to help Get Out the Vote.  Volunteer here: http://www.protectmaineequality.org/page.cfm?ID=142&CFID=33452990&CFTOKEN=749591944. Watch the Results.  Follow the ACLU of MAINE on Twitter and Facebook to get frequent updates on Election Day activities and Election Night results.5. Celebrate?  Join us at 8 pm at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland for an Election Night Party.  See the invite below. We can celebrate the love we have for all members of our community.We have come so far.  Many of you have contributed countless hours sharing your stories, lobbying, fundraising, canvassing, phone banking, organizing vigils and rallies. Thank you for all that you have done to support fairness and equality.  Thank you for standing up for marriage equality again today.

Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com has done an excellent job over the last nine years reporting on Bush Administration and now Obama Administration abuses of power.  No, that's not a typo.  On Friday, the

Across the country, pregnant women have found themselves subjected to incarceration, and harsh treatment in prison, based a concern for the well-being of the fetus that they are carrying.  Here in Maine, I handled a case this summer of a woman who was sentenced to jail for the duration of her pregnancy, because the Court be

This week, the Supreme Court announced it will deliberate whether life sentences for juveniles convicted of non-homicidal crimes constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, thus violating the eighth amendment.

Sometimes, the comedians capture it best.  This week, Jon Stewart discussed net neutrality and efforts by John McCain to limit free speech on the Internet through a new bill with an Orwellian name, the so-called "Internet Freedom Act." 

It isn’t just the ACLU and immigrant rights advocates that think local police should not be enforcing federal immigration law under agreements like 287g or Secure Communities. The Chief of Police of one of the more notorious police departments in the US agrees with us, too.  This op-ed by LA Police Chief William Bratton articulates precisely why Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be enforcing federal immigration law, and local police departments should be protecting the public safety.  Chief Bratton oversees one of the largest police departments in the country in one of the nation’s most diverse cities.  I hope that police chiefs in Maine heed Chief Bratton’s words and initiate policies like Special Order 40 in LA, which prohibits LAPD officers from initiating contact with someone for the sole purpose of determining their immigration status. I’ve pasted the op-ed below for you to read with a few key points highlighted. 

It was reported in Friday's New York Times that Arizona is considering privatizing its prison system in order to save the state an estimated $100 million dollars.

After spending the day talking to students about their constitutional rights, it’s heartening to hear this call for upholding First Amendment rights.  Two educators from Nokomis High School appeared in commercials regarding Question

I was one of the thousands in the audience at the Augusta Civic Center last Spring when Phillip Spooner got up to give public testimony in support of LD 1020, “An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom”.  He brought e