Our Issues
ACLU of OK Stands Up to Efforts to Discriminate Against Gay & Lesbian National Guard Soldiers
1.10.12
Today, the ACLU of Oklahoma is calling on the Speaker of the House to send a clear signal that HB 2195 is dead on arrival and that the House will not waste a single minute considering the politically motivated act of a single legislator, and instead, will stand with the brave men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard, regardless of their sexual orientation.
In addition to potentially jeopardizing federal funding, this legislation distracts our legislature from efforts that truly support our troops by ensuring that when they return from service they will find a strong economy, educational opportunities, and affordable health care awaiting them.
A similar measure was proposed in Virgina last session. That bill died in subcommittee after the Attorney General, a socially conservative Republican, noted that, if it passed, the federal government could and probably would withhold federal funding for the VA Guard. Other policy makers highlighted that 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.
ACLU of Oklahoma and CAIR to Ask Appeals Court Monday to Uphold Ruling
9.8.11
ACLU of Oklahoma and CAIR to Ask Appeals Court Monday to Uphold Ruling Blocking Implementation of Oklahoma Ban on Sharia and International Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 8, 2011 CONTACT: Robyn Shepherd, ACLU national, (212) 519-7829 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org DENVER – Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will present arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Monday, September 12 at 1:00 p.m. MDT to ask that the court uphold a ruling blocking implementation of a discriminatory and unnecessary Oklahoma state constitutional amendment that prohibits courts from applying – or even considering – what is broadly described as Islamic “Sharia law” and “international law.”
The measure, officially titled the “Save Our State Amendment,” was temporarily enjoined last year by a lower court for blatantly disfavoring an entire faith and denyingOklahoma’s Muslims access to the judicial system on the same terms as every other citizen. The ACLU and CAIR are seeking to have the amendment permanently struck down.
More information on the case is available at: www.aclu.org/religion-belief/muneer-awad-v-paul-ziriax-oklahoma-state-board-elections-et-al
WHAT: Arguments in appeal of lower court ruling blocking implementation of anOklahoma state constitutional amendment prohibiting courts from applying or considering Sharia law and international law.
WHO: Daniel Mach, director More >
Are you being tracked?
8.3.11
ACLU Seeks Details on Government Phone Tracking in Massive Nationwide Information Request
Campaign is One of the Largest Coordinated Information Act Requests in American History
In a massive coordinated information-seeking campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, along with 33 other affiliates across the nation today are sending over 379 requests to local law enforcement agencies large and small demanding to know when, why and how they are using cell phone location data to track Americans. The campaign is one of the largest coordinated information act requests in American history. The requests, being filed under Oklahoma’s freedom of information laws, are an effort to strip away the secrecy that has surrounded law enforcement use of cell phone tracking capabilities.
“The ability to access cell phone location data is an incredibly powerful tool and its use is shrouded in secrecy. The public has a right to know how and under what circumstances their location information is being accessed by the government,” said Catherine Crump, staff attorney for the ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. “A detailed history of someone’s movements is extremely personal and is the kind of information the Constitution protects.”
Law enforcement agencies are being asked for information including:
- whether law enforcement agents More >
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