Weekly Highlights September 15 - 19

ACLU of Maine Opposes Changes to Children’s Behavioral Health Settlement

On Thursday, Disability Rights Maine, the ACLU of Maine, GLAD Law, and the Center for Public Representation filed an amicus brief opposing harmful changes to a federal settlement agreement designed to protect Maine children with disabilities.

The original settlement, reached just last November between the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Maine, would require the state to provide children with the community-based behavioral health services they need to avoid unnecessary institutionalization and separation. Now, less than a year later, the United States and the State of Maine are seeking to weaken that agreement by eliminating an independent reviewer, stripping protections for justice-involved children, limiting outreach to families, and reducing training requirements for providers.

The ACLU of Maine is urging the court to reject these modifications that would be a massive step backward for our state. Without oversight, accountability, and safeguards, children are more likely to be institutionalized at places like Long Creek, Maine's youth prison, and denied the services they need to live healthy, safe lives. We are asking the court to ensure that Maine upholds its obligations to children and families.

Raising the Alarm on Government Censorship

President Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr pressured ABC affiliates to suspend Jimmy Kimmel — all because they didn't like what he had to say. By abusing its power over corporate mergers to bully broadcasters, the government is blatantly violating free speech protections. The First Amendment does not guarantee you a job, but it is supposed to guarantee that the government cannot silence you just because it doesn't like what you have to say.