General
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.”
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ACLU 9/11 Anniversary Report Warns of Threat to American Freedom
9.8.11
Report, “A Call to Courage: Reclaiming Our Liberties Ten Years After 9/11,” Details Dangers of Establishing Permanent War Footing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2011
CONTACT: Josh Bell, (212) 549-2508 or 2666; media@aclu.org
NEW YORK– A decade after the September 11th attacks, theUnited Statesis at risk of enshrining a permanent state of emergency in which the nation’s core values are subordinated to ever-expanding claims of national security, the American Civil Liberties Union warns in a new report released today.
“A Call to Courage: Reclaiming Our Liberties Ten Years After 9/11,” shows how sacrificing America’s values – including justice, individual liberty and the rule of law – ultimately undermines the country’s safety. “It is our fundamental values that are the very foundation of our strength and security,” the report says.
“We have titled it ‘A Call to Courage,’ because we believe that a defining element of our national identity – embodied in our national anthem’s pairing of ‘the land of the free’ with ‘the home of the brave’ – has been imperiled by our leaders’ promotion of (or capitulation to) a politics of fear,” the report explains.
It challenges the contention that theU.S.is engaged in a “war on terror” that takes place everywhere and will last forever, and More >
ACLU of Oklahoma Selects Former Lawmaker as Executive Director
8.31.11
August 30, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director
Phone: 405.524.8511
Email: acluok@acluok.org
OKLAHOMA CITY— Following a nationwide search, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma announced today that Ryan Kiesel will serve as the organization’s next Executive Director.
As Executive Director, Kiesel will serve as the chief executive officer of the ACLU of Oklahoma, with primary responsibility for managing the day-to-day activities and operations of the organization, leading the fundraising, directing and coordinating the work of a professional staff, and serving as the primary spokesperson.
“It is an honor to be a part of an organization that relentlessly defends the rights of Oklahomans at the legislature, in communities large and small, and when necessary at the courthouse,” said Kiesel.
Prior to coming to the ACLU of Oklahoma, Kiesel, an attorney, served three terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2004-10 where he was a strong voice in the defense of civil liberties and regularly debated against measures that limited reproductive rights, free speech, religious freedom, and the rights of the accused.
Kiesel said he applied for the position because the mission of the ACLU of Oklahoma reflects his attitude towards public service.
“You don’t have to look hard to find those who disagreed with many of More >
ACLU Calls for Angie Debo Nominations
8.22.11
Author and Activist Angie Debo
The ACLU of Oklahoma is currently accepting nominations for the Angie Debo Civil Liberties Award. The award will be presented at this year’s Bill of Rights Celebration on November 12th. The Angie Debo Award was established in 1977 to recognize those who have provided exceptional defense to the Bill of Rights throughout the year or throughout their lives. Nominations for these awards must be received by the affiliate office no later than September 16th. They may be mailed to the ACLU of Oklahoma at 3000 Paseo Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 or emailed to Tamya Cox.
Nomination letters should be no longer than three pages and should include the following: 1) name, current address, and telephone numbers (business and home) of the nominee, 2) a description of the nominee’s worthiness, 3) a statement that the nominee has given consent to the nomination, 4) biographical information about the nominee attached as an enclosure, 5) letters of endorsement from others as optional enclosures and 6) the name, address, and telephone numbers (home and business) of the person making the nomination.
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