News & Commentary

Today, the ACLU of Maine is joining a nationwide day of action calling for reform of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the federal law that says the government can access your email and documents in the cloud without a warrant.

According to shocking new ACLU report titled A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Non Violent Offenses there are 3,278 prisoners serving sentences of life without possibility of parole for non-violent crimes. These crimes include carrying drugs for an abusive boyfriend, stealing tools from a toolshed and stealing a $159 dollar jacket. We are locking up a record number of people – many of which will never see outside a prisons walls again - at a huge financial and human cost. Only 1/5 of the world’s countries allow a sentence as harsh as life without parole. Of those that do, most countries reserve its use for murder or repeated violent crimes.

The front page of today’s New York Times featured an excellent article titled “Seeing the Toll, Schools Revise Zero Tolerance.” It spoke to a growing movement by school administrators in big cities to reconsider "zero-tolerance" policies and other "tough on crime" approaches in light of the effects that they are having on today's young people.

Last week we signed on to an open letter to Gov. LePage, urging him to ensure that Maine’s policies regarding pregnant women and newborns are informed by science, and that they do not inadvertently endanger the health of babies.

Four months ago, the New York Times published a startling article on the sharp increase in heroin use across New England and the tragic consequences that have accompanied it.  Last year, heroin killed 21 Mainers, three times as many as 2011.  Across the state, many more are battling their addiction, at risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases such as HIV (in 2009, nearly a third of Maine women living with HIV reported injecting drugs) and hepatitis C and facing criminal sanctions and the many consequences of contact with our criminal justice system. This is a tragic public health problem with tremendous human cost. As we look for ways to reduce the harms of substance abuse across our region, it is of the utmost importance that we reach for thoughtful and compassionate health based solutions that protect individuals and our communities.

As you may have seen, or heard, or read, we had a trial last week in U.S. District Court in our challenge to the constitutionality of a Portland ordinance that prohibits people from using median strips for free speech (or any other) purposes. We do not expect a decision in this case until early next year, but in the meantime, the Portland Press Herald today published a very thoughtful op-ed on the subject of panhandling. In it, the author, a social work student at the University of Southern Maine, makes this point about the law at issue in our case: "Unfortunately, this new ordinance does not help to eradicate poverty and homelessness; it only frees the Portland community from having to see and think about it." The whole piece is worth reading.

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

The Maine State Legislature is gearing up for the 2014 short session - and so are we! We are closely watching any bills that threaten or promote civil liberties. While we haven't taken an official position on any bills yet, here's a list of some bills that we're following:

Tomorrow the ACLU will appear in a federal courtroom in New York City to argue that the NSA's mass call-tracking program violates Americans' constitutional rights of privacy, free speech, and association, and that it goes far beyond what Section 215 of the Patriot Act authorizes.