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New report lays out roadmap for ending mass incarceration in NC
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina today released a report that outlines how North Carolina can reduce its jail and prison population by half and save more than $1 billion by pursuing reforms that include....
This Thanksgiving, fight fear with facts
After this election, many Americans’ Thanksgiving may feature divisive, often uncomfortable, conversations with friends and family who disagree politically. For those of us frustrated by the myths and misinformation that now fuel many such debates, it’s more important than ever to combat the spin and fear-mongering with facts. Here are some to keep in mind: […]
How eliminating same-day registration has disenfranchised North Carolinians
Isabel Najera was excited to vote in her first election as a U.S. citizen in 2014. The North Carolina mother of four did everything right to cast a ballot that would count. She registered in time, went to the right polling place, and showed up to cast a ballot during early voting. But through no […]
It’s time to stop solitary confinement
Editor’s note: The ACLU of North Carolina is co-hosting an event entitled “Solitary confinement as Torture” this Friday April 10, 2015 at UNC Law School in Chapel Hill. Click here for more information. Last year, North Carolinians were stunned and horrified by the death of Michael Anthony Kerr, who was found unresponsive in a van […]
The danger of militarized policing
[Editor’s note: The ongoing conflicts in Ferguson, Missouri have brought significant attention of late to the issue of America’s increasingly militarized civilian law enforcement agencies. As the following essay makes clear, however, the issue of militarized policing is an issue that has deserved attention – both in North Carolina and elsewhere – for some time.] […]
School board censors continue to threaten the freedom to read
Recently, the Brunswick County Board of Education met to discuss whether or not to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Color Purple” from a high school reading list. The meeting marked at least the third time this year that a North Carolina school board has openly considered removing from a reading list or altogether banning […]
Drug Testing Aid Recipients is Costly, Unconstitutional
In 2011, Florida passed a controversial law requiring applicants for public assistance to submit to mandatory, suspicionless drug tests before receiving any aid. Just four months later, a federal court stopped the law in its tracks after concluding that such compulsory urine tests were an unconstitutional invasion of privacy, in violation of the Fourth Amendment […]
Lawmakers to consider rolling back privacy rights
With their recent return to Raleigh, North Carolina legislators will soon consider a pair of bills that have serious implications for the privacy rights of everyone in our state. The first is an expansion of the “DNA Database Act of 2010” that allows police officers to take a DNA sample from individuals upon arrest without […]
A big win for religious freedom in North Carolina
A key challenge in an increasingly diverse state such as North Carolina is ensuring that all citizens have equal and unbiased access to the government that represents them. Regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or religion, all North Carolinians have an equal right to participate in the democratic process without fear of being excluded because of […]