News & Commentary
If You Care About the Rule of Law, You Should Be Appalled by Gov. Cox’s Immigration Proposal
Governor Spencer Cox’s recent proposal to facilitate a mass deportation agenda in Utah is deeply troubling—it undermines the rule of law. If you care about due process, civil rights, and the U.S. Constitution, you should be deeply concerned by this misguided approach.
By Aaron Welcher, Brittney Nystrom
Sep 11, 2020
The next virus outbreak in Utah’s jails is already here
Yet another Utah jail is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, this time in Cache County. Nationally, jails and prisons have become some of largest and fastest-spreading COVID-19 hot spots with a dangerous ability to impact neighboring communities. As a result, the repeated outbreaks in Utah’s jails should surprise no one. But even more troubling is how the multiple failures that caused about 300 incarcerated people in Utah to be infected this spring and summer have not been fixed. (Published in the Deseret News on Sept. 5, 2020)
Apr 15, 2020
Shiny Surveillance Tech Fails Again
Utah’s short-lived attempt to question all travelers entering the state flopped not because of privacy concerns, but because of too much spam. But we still think it was a bad idea.
Feb 28, 2020
2020 Utah Abortion Survey Results
What do Utahns think about new restrictions on abortion?
Oct 07, 2019
Utah Supreme Court hears DACA Case
On October 7, 2019, the Utah Supreme Court heard arguments in "In re Mary and Jane Doe," a case that addresses whether individuals who are beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program can be admitted to the Utah State Bar, and if the Utah Supreme Court has the power to admit them. Learn more about the ACLU's role in this case.
Sep 11, 2019
Utah should opt out of the surveillance state
This growth of new and invasive technology includes body scanners at airports, facial recognition cameras, and artificial intelligence software that links it all together. Despite Utah’s reverence for privacy, our state is not exempt from this trend.
Aug 28, 2019
Rachel Appel: Voting rights matter in San Juan County
It’s a 290-mile drive from Salt Lake City to Monticello, the seat of San Juan County in Utah’s southeast corner, and the rain followed our car the whole way. As clouds threatened another downpour, we joined the dozens of people converging on the San Juan County Courthouse to attend the May 21 County Commission meeting.
Feb 19, 2019
Why the ACLU of Utah is wary of legislation that includes enhanced penalties for hate crimes
It might surprise you that the ACLU of Utah doesn’t instinctively support hate crimes legislation that involves enhanced penalties for certain offenses. But when you consider our opposition to policies that promote mass incarceration and our constant fight to end the racism embedded in the criminal justice system, our stance shouldn’t be surprising.
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