Skip Navigation
Syndicate content

Blog

Home » Blog
Social Media Password Bill Signing Ceremony

A victory for online privacy!

Shankar Narayan, ACLU-WA Legislative Director
May 23, 2013
On Tuesday, the state legislature gave Washingtonians something to celebrate.  Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law new privacy protections for social media account passwords.   Read More »
 

ALPR: The Surveillance Tool You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Jamela Debelak, ACLU-WA Technology and Liberty Director
May 20, 2013
If networks of surveillance cameras and drones have you concerned, you should meet their less known but equally dangerous cousin: automated license plate recognition (or ALPR). ALPR systems track and store location data on millions of vehicles and are in regular use throughout the state of Washington. Read More »
 

My May Day Experience

Raissa Masket, ACLU-WA Marketing and Communications Intern
May 17, 2013
On an unusually warm and sunny May 1st, I gathered with ACLU of Washington coworkers and supporters at Judkins Park in Seattle’s Central District, joining with thousands of others to participate in the annual May Day march.  The march began here in Washington 13 years ago as a day of advocacy for worker and immigration rights, and it continues to provide a safe and supportive forum for individuals to tell their stories and publicly express their support. Read More »
 

Speech and Privacy Protections Must Keep Pace with New Technology

Jamela Debelak, ACLU-WA Technology and Liberty Director
May 14, 2013
Having recently started as the new Technology and Liberty Director at the ACLU of WA, I’d like to tell you how I think about technology and some of the key issues I hope to focus on in the coming months and years. Read More »
 

Employment Discrimination: Another State Bans the Box

Vanessa Hernandez, ACLU-WA Staff Attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow
May 10, 2013
This week, Minnesota joined the national movement to “ban the box.”   Its legislature passed, with bi-partisan support, a bill that would prevent public and private employers from asking about criminal history on an initial application. Read More »
 
Topics:

Religious Restrictions Put Health Care Rights at Risk

Margaret Chen, ACLU-WA Floyd and Delores Jones Family Fellow
May 7, 2013
Health care facilities open to the general public should provide access to a full range of health care services. Religious ideology should not determine what health care services are available to patients. Read More »
 
Topics:

Choosing Reason over Revenge: Former Governor Dan Evans Speaks Out on the Death Penalty

Sharon Coleman, Safe & Just Alternatives Activist
Apr 26, 2013
Opponents to the death penalty have been stating many reasons, for many years, why the death penalty should be removed from our judicial system. In March of this year, Daniel J. Evans, our former governor, added his powerful voice and told the Washington Legislature about his reasons:

“When I became governor in 1965 the death penalty was not an issue. Challenges of redistricting, education, social services, and transportation filled the legislative agenda. Read More »

 
Topics:

Restorative Justice: Helping Kids Learn from Their Mistakes

Joseph Thomas
Apr 2, 2013
Kids can’t learn if they aren’t in school.  That’s why our state has a mandatory attendance rule that requires students to go school or give a good reason why they have missed a day of class time.  But our current discipline laws allow schools to expel or suspend kids as a punishment for breaking rules sometimes for even minor infractions. Read More »
 
Topics:

Hearing Educated Legislators about Failings of Death Penalty

Brynn Smith, Safe and Just Alternatives Outreach Coordinator
Mar 20, 2013
Earlier this March, Washington’s House Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on HB 1504, legislation that would replace the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole. Read More »
 
Topics:

Lobbying in Olympia to End the Death Penalty

Brynn Smith, Safe and Just Alternatives Outreach Coordinator
Feb 28, 2013
On February 12th, nearly 60 concerned people from 26 legislative districts came together to voice their opposition to Washington state’s death penalty. From Bellingham and Vancouver to Spokane and Walla Walla, constituents trekked to Olympia to meet with their elected officials. Read More »
 
Topics: