June 3 Utah Pride Parade 9:30 - 11:00 AM Walk with the ACLU of Utah
Downtown, Salt Lake City More information >>
Failing Gideon:
Utah’s
Public
Defender System
Thank you to all of our friends who made the 2012 Bill of Rights Celebration such an awesome success! Together we celebrated the "Power of the People!" Pictures coming soon.
Join the ACLU of Utah for a day of FUN, FRIENDSHIP,
and the largest party for EQUALITY in Utah! Walk with us in this year's Pride Parade! June 3rd,
Downtown, Salt Lake City Get more information >>
ACLU “Mobile Rights Team” cross-country tour stops at the Latino Mall in West Valley City on Saturday, May 12
Posted 5/7/12 - The ACLU Mobile Rights Team tour launched “Estamos Unidos” on Saturday April 21 in San Francisco. The team will cover over 5,000 miles as it travels through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California to share information about everyone’s basic rights – regardless of immigration status – gather stories of those impacted by anti-immigrant laws, and form alliances with all who oppose discrimination in any part of the country.
They will hold workshops and rallies along the way led by ACLU and immigrant rights partners.
ACLU of Utah Event to Highlight Voter Suppression Posted 4/25/12 - Next week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah will host its 2012 Bill of Rights Celebration, featuring special guest and keynote speaker Spencer Overton of George Washington University Law School. The theme of this year’s Celebration is “Power of the People.” As keynote speaker, Mr. Overton will address several obstacles to participatory democracy in this election year, including all manner of voter suppression tactics and manipulations of the voting process.
ACLU Attorneys React to Argument at Supreme Court on Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Law Posted 4/25/12 - Attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union Immigrants’ Rights Project who attended this morning’s arguments at the Supreme Court stressed the need to stop SB 1070-type laws because they encourage racial profiling, harm public safety and lead to civil rights abuses.
The ACLU of Utah Reporter: Spring 2012 Posted 4/24/12 - In this Issue: Opponents of HB 497, "Show Me Your Papers Law," Have Day In Court; The Directors Chair; The Legacy Challenge; On The Hill: 2012 Legislative Report; Always On The Look-Out For Civil Liberties Violations; ACLU of Utah Welcomes New Legal Director; Release of Chemicals At State Prison Prompts Investigation; and more …
Will Americans Tolerate Laws That Encourage Racial Profiling?
Posted 4/23/12 - S.B. 1070 is Arizona's controversial anti-immigrant law. The ACLU and the Department of Justice filed lawsuits challenging the law, charging that it is unconstitutional and encourages racial profiling. Five Arizona copycat laws passed in 2011, including Alabama, Utah, Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana. Federal courts have blocked major provisions of each state's law from going into effect, and in light of the humanitarian crises, economic costs and reputation harm these laws have brought, lawmakers across the country have begun to distance themselves from duplicating this model. On April 25, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on Arizona v. United States. A decision in the ACLU of Utah lawsuit against HB 497 is on hold pending the Supreme Court decision on SB 1070.
Court Asked To Stop State From Enforcing Utah Law Regulating Internet Speech Posted 4/12/12 -Today, the ACLU of Utah as a plaintiff along with a coalition of booksellers, media companies, and artists, asked the federal district court to declare that a Utah statute restricting speech on the internet is unconstitutional. Utah’s law seeks to regulate all internet speech that may be considered “harmful to minors.” The law goes beyond constitutional limits, however, because it would result in restrictions on visual art, photography, graphic novels, and information about sexual health and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
Challenge Voter Suppression Laws 4/5/12 - The right to vote is what makes a country a true democracy, and it is the most basic right we share as Americans. Yet states are making it harder and harder for people to vote, virtually guaranteeing that many people won’t really have the right at all. With new laws in effect, up to 5 million voters could be turned away at the polls in November. We cannot afford to have laws that push people out of the electorate. In order for this to be a true democracy, every eligible American must be able to vote.
Results of Nationwide Government Cell Phone Tracking Records Request Show Frequent Violations of Americans' Privacy Rights Posted 4/2/12 -Of all of the recent technological developments that have expanded the surveillance capabilities of law enforcement agencies at the expense of individual privacy, perhaps the most powerful is cell phone location tracking. As part of a national campaign, the ACLU of Utah submitted GRAMA requests to 8 local law enforcement agencies to see if they used cell phone tracking. The responses, along with others from around the country, were analyzed showing disturbing trends.
Supreme Court Remands ACLU Gene Patenting Case to Appeals Court Posted 3/27/12 -Yesterday, The U.S. Supreme Court set aside a ruling that allowed a company to patent two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer and limit access to potentially life-saving genetic tests for at-risk women. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBAT) have challenged the patents held by Myriad Genetics - a Utah based company - on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last year ruled were valid. With the judgment vacated, the case will be sent back to the same three-judge panel who issued the July decision.
Federal Government Added To Suit Challenging S.L. County's Policy of Indefinite Detention Posted 3/26/12 - Today, the ACLU of Utah and cooperating attorney B. Kent Morgan of The Dyer Law Group filed an amended complaint in federal district court in the case of Uroza v. Salt Lake County, et al.. The amended complaint alleges that officials and agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, share responsibility for causing the unconstitutional and prolonged imprisonment of Enrique Uroza. The amended complaint also adds the United States as a defendant, alleging that its agents caused Mr. Uroza to be unlawfully imprisoned.
Bill Would Force Mandatory Drug Testing For Public Assistance Recipients, Raises Concerns Posted 3/19/12 -The ACLU of Utah has asked Governor Herbert to veto HB 155, "Drug Screening for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Recipients." The bill would require recipients of public assistance programs to submit to various types of drug screening and is problematic because it singles out a particular group of people, the poor, and could violate privacy by retaining DNA information.
Bill To Force Feed Inmates Would Violate Constitutional and International Rights Posted 3/19/12 -The ACLU of Utah sent a letter to Governor Herbert today urging him to veto Second Substitute HB 194, "Involuntary Feeding and Hydration of Inmates." The hunger strike has been a long recognized form of political protest. The bill, which would allow courts to authorize force-feeding of inmates, would violate an inmate's constitutional right to refrain from eating and drinking. It also violates various international treaties and conventions.
ACLU Applauds Governor Herbert for Vetoing Sex Ed Bill Posted 3/19/12 - On Friday, March 16, in the face of public pressure by thousands of Utahns and organizations, Governor Herbert vetoed HB 363, “Health Education Amendments.” The law would have deprived parents of the choice to have health education other than abstinence only instruction provided in public schools. In rejecting the bill the Governor said that existing laws were adequate and the bill would restrict parental options.
Disservice To Teens Posted 3/15/12 - The Salt Lake Tribune has published an Op-Ed by ACLU of Utah Executive Director Karen McCreary, and Legislative and Policy Counsel Marin Lowe, calling for Governor Herbert to veto HB 363 "Health Education Amendments."
Unconstitutional Abortion Waiting Period Bill Should Be Vetoed Posted 3/14/12 - Today the ACLU of Utah delivered a letter to Governor Herbert asking that he veto HB 461, “Abortion Waiting Period.” This bill would substantially burden a woman’s constitutional right to access abortion services, and wrongly assumes that women do not carefully consider the difficult decision of whether to have an abortion. HB 461 would expand the current mandatory wait time before a woman can get an abortion from 24 to 72 hours, making it the most extreme mandatory delay in the nation.
Governor Herbert Should Veto Sex-Ed Bill Posted 3/13/12 -The ACLU of Utah delivered a letter today urging Governor Herbert to veto HB 363, “Health Education Amendments.” HB 363 deprives parents of the choice to have health education other than abstinence only instruction provided in public schools. Evidence clearly shows that sexuality education that stresses the importance of waiting to have sex while providing accurate, age-appropriate, and complete information about how to use contraceptives effectively to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can help teens make healthy decisions.
Utah High School Seniors Honored For Their Social Justice and Equality Activism Posted 3/9/12 - The ACLU of Utah is proud to announce the amazing winners of its 2012 Youth Activist Scholarship Awards. A selection committee composed of community leaders and volunteers reviewed qualifying candidates from across the state. Our winners were selected based on the students’ dedication to civil liberties, the challenges they have overcome, the leadership they display, and their academic excellence. Each winner receives $1,000 towards their first year of college and will be honored at the 2012 Bill of Rights Celebration on May 2.
