American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey
Atlanta anti-drone activists to rally at drone convention
Atlantans alarmed by the proliferation of targeted assassinations, surveillance and spying by drones will hold apress conference and protest at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 28 outside the Grand HyattAtlantahotel,3300 Peachtree Road NE.
That will be the opening morning of the international convention of the drone industry at the Grand Hyatt. The convention promises to bring together “representatives from academia, industry, federal/state agencies, government, the private sector, users, practitioners and engineers” who are working to expand the use of drones, or “unmanned aerial vehicles” (http://www.uasconferences.com/).
Time to Bring Moms Home: Impact of Immigration Detention on Women
Azadeh Shahshahani
Director, National Security/Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU of Georgia
Huffington Post
Earlier this month, we celebrated Mother's Day while thousands of immigrant women across the country were separated from their children and families. They were imprisoned in the more than 250 facilities nationwide including the two in Georgia which currently detain women.
Women in immigration detention facilities including the Irwin County Detention Center and the North Georgia Detention Center face particularly painful circumstances as the ACLU of Georgia documented in our report released last year, "Prisoners of Profit: Immigrants and Detention in Georgia."
The Future of American Warfare?
Assessing the Legality of the Obama Administration's Use of Military Drones
To what extent does the United States Constitution and current federal law authorize the use of military drones in counter-terrorism operations? Come hear a panel discussion on the constitutionality of President Obama’s policy on the use of drones, including the limits to their use, whether and when they could be used on American citizens, and the merits of constitutional concerns raised on the political left and the political right.
The Georgia Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society will present a panel discussion with The Honorable Bob Barr, Laurie Blank, Azadeh Shahshahani, and Todd Stein on Wednesday, June 5th.
For more information or to register click here >>
A few weeks ago ACLU supporters signed a petition in support of Wilcox County High School students who were organizing the first integrated prom in their school's history. On Saturday night their dream came true.
The ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project is celebrating its fifth anniversary!
Founded in March 2008, the project works to bring Georgia into compliance with international human rights and U.S. constitutional standards in treatment of refugees and immigrant communities, including those in detention. This project engages ACLU of Georgia staff and volunteers in litigation, legislative advocacy, human rights documentation, coalition-building, public education, attorney training, and community organizing to address a range of issues. Here you can find a few of our accomplishments over the past five years.
ACLU of Georgia Joins nationwide investigation of police militarization
The ACLU of Georgia joined affiliates throughout the country by submitting open records requests to determine the extent to which local law enforcement agencies are using federally subsidized military technology and tactics that are traditionally used in military operations overseas. The ACLU of Georgia submitted these requests to 11 of the largest law enforcement agencies in the state. We hope to receive responses in the coming weeks and we will continue to monitor this situation. You can find out more about this project at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/aclu-police-militarization-swat_n_2813334.html
Prostitute banishment idea meets protests
A proposed prostitution ban met with opposition at an Atlanta City Council work session Monday. The meeting was designed to invite input on a proposed ordinance that would ban prostitutes and their customers from certain parts of the city after multiple arrests.
The meeting lasted for several hours. Community leaders, church pastors and advocates against sex trafficking said the ban was harshly targeting victims of the sex trade. They said they'd like to see more budget dollars devoted to outreach and second chance programs.
The ordinance was pushed by people who told the city they were tired of living with streets populated by prostitutes and their customers.
"You can't arrest these people because they just keep coming back," said midtown resident Peggy Denby. "So this is our best option."
ACLU Files Lawsuit Challenging Georgia Abortion Ban
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia filed a lawsuit today challenging a Georgia law banning pre-viability abortions. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Georgia obstetrician-gynecologists whose patients include women in need of this essential medical care. The doctors are suing so that they can continue to keep their patients safe.
The law criminalizes virtually all abortions starting at 20 weeks of pregnancy, and contains only the narrowest exception for medical emergencies.
