General
Court Upholds Ruling Blocking Oklahoma Sharia and International Law Ban
1.10.12
Discriminatory and Unnecessary Law Maligned American Muslims and Presented Legal Bind For Courts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666
DENVER, CO – A federal appeals court today unanimously upheld a ruling that blocked implementation of a discriminatory and unnecessary Oklahoma state constitutional amendment that would have prohibited state courts from considering what is broadly described as Islamic “Sharia law” and “international law.”
The court concluded that by singling out Islam for unfavorable treatment in state courts, the law likely violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The court rejected the state’s argument that the constitutional amendment was necessary to protect against improper application of Sharia law, explaining:
“Appellants do not identify any actual problem the challenged amendment seeks to solve. Indeed, they admitted . . . that they did not know of even a single instance where an Oklahoma court had applied Sharia law or used the legal precepts of other nations or cultures, let alone that such applications or uses had resulted in concrete problems in Oklahoma.”
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) challenged the amendment on behalf of Muneer Awad, executive director of CAIR’s Oklahoma chapter.
“As the court recognized, this amendment did nothing more than target one More >
Bill of Rights Celebration to feature Baratunde Thurston of The Onion
10.17.11
The ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation is excited to announce this year’s Bill of Rights Celebration featured speaker is Baratunde Thurston of news satire organization The Onion. He will be delivering this year’s key note address, and guests will be in for a treat.
Thurston is a politically-active, technology-loving comedian and co-founded the black political blog, Jack and Jill Politics. His first book, How To Be Black, will be published in February 2012 by Harper Collins. The ACLU of Michigan honored him “for changing the political and social landscape one laugh at a time,” and was nominated for the Bill Hicks Award for Thought Provoking Comedy. Then-candidate Barack Obama called him “someone I need to know.”
The ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation will also be honoring Jana Lewis Harkins for her years of commitment to advancing civil rights in Oklahoma. She will be presented with the distinguished Angie Debo Civil Libertarian of the Year Award.
Individual tickets are $50 and student tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased here.
For sponsorship info, please contact Allie Shinn or at (405) 524-8511.
For more information on Baratunde Thurston, please visit www.baratunde.com.
Long-time Activist to Receive ACLU’s Highest Honor
9.26.11
The ACLU of Oklahoma is excited to announce this year’s Angie Debo Civil Libertarian of the Year is Jana Lewis Harkins of Oklahoma City.
Harkins is no stranger to the ACLU. She has served on the board of directors twice and also served as the board president. While serving as board of directors in 1987, she received the distinct honor of becoming the first African-American president of any ACLU affiliate in the country.
“Harkins has dedicated a lifetime to fight for equality, and her passion has inspired many,” said Ryan Kiesel executive director of the ACLU of Oklahoma. “We are excited to honor such a trail-blazer.”
In addition to Harkins’ commitment to the ACLU, she has dedicated her life to civil rights. Witnessing the unfair treatment of women within the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, she began her fight for the fair treatment of women and workers. She became heavily involved with the Communications Workers of America Union, and she would ultimately become the first African American and first female elected as the Executive Vice President for the CWA Local 6016.
She has worked tirelessly to increase voter participation and to educate the masses about women’s rights, racial justice, and human rights.
In 2005, she co-hosted an More >
ACLU Says Denial of Clemency for Troy Davis Exemplifies Death Penalty’s Systemic Injustices
9.20.11
Execution in Face of Serious Doubts Unconscionable and Unconstitutional
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (212) 549-2666;media@aclu.org
ATLANTA – The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles today denied clemency to Troy Davis, despite serious concerns that he was wrongly convicted of killing a police officer in 1989.
“The refusal today by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant Troy Davis clemency underscores the vast systemic injustices that plague our death penalty system,” said Denny LeBoeuf, director of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. “No innocent person should ever be put to death, and it is unconscionable and unconstitutional to carry out an execution where, as in Troy’s case, significant doubts exist. The death penalty system in the United States is arbitrary, discriminatory and comes at an enormous cost to taxpayers, and it must be ended.”
Visit www.aclu.org for more information.
Defending the Indefensible: Oklahoma Struggles to Salvage Its Unconstitutional Sharia Ban
9.13.11
Posted by Allie Shinn in Commentary
Last November, the federal district court rejected this attempt to use the state constitution to condone bigotry and blocked the amendment from taking effect. Yesterday, a federal appellate court in Denver heard arguments in the state’s appeal of that decision, but the state should fare no better this time around.
Click Here to Read the Entire Post at the ACLU’s Blog of Rights