Latest From ACLU of Washington

The latest content and updates from the ACLU of Washington website.

Public Defense Supervisor Selected for Mt. Vernon and Burlington

News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Eileen Farley, Director of the Northwest Defenders Division of the King County Department of Public Defense, has been selected as Public Defense Supervisor for Mt. Vernon and Burlington.  The position was established by the U.S. District Court in Seattle in its December 2013 ruling that the cities’ public defense system deprives indigent persons who face misdemeanor criminal charges of their fundamental right to assistance of counsel. The court required the cities to hire a supervisor to ensure their defense system complies with constitutional standards, and the court is keeping jurisdiction over the case for three years while reforms proceed.
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The School Discipline Conversation is Catching On

Published: 
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Students of color, disabled students, and low-income students are all disciplined more often and more harshly than their classmates, despite evidence that they don’t misbehave more often or engage in more troubling behavior.
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ACLU activists make the case for reasonable drone regulation

Published: 
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
A group of enthusiastic ACLU-WA activists met at the State Capitol on Tuesday to encourage legislators to support  House Bill 1771 and Senate Bill 6172 calling for reasonable, common sense limits to drone use by state and local government agencies.
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Bill to Regulate Drones Passes Washington State House with Strong Bipartisan Support

News Release, Published: 
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
The Washington State House has passed HB 2789, a bill which puts reasonable regulations in place for government use of drones in Washington state. The measure passed overwhelmingly with strong bipartisan support by an 83-15 vote.
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Report Exposes Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons in Washington

Document, Published: 
Monday, February 10, 2014
The ACLU of Washington and Columbia Legal Services today issued a report examining the unfair burdens court-ordered debts impose on poor people in Washington. “Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons: The Ways Court-Imposed Debts Punish People for Being Poor” exposes a counterproductive system and calls for reform.
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Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons in Washington

Document, Published: 
Monday, February 10, 2014
The ACLU of Washington and Columbia Legal Services issued a report examining the unfair burdens court-ordered debts impose on poor people in Washington. “Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons: The Ways Court-Imposed Debts Punish People for Being Poor” exposes a counterproductive system and calls for reform.
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Why I Chose to Lobby for Reproductive Rights

Published: 
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
On Monday, I did something that I have never done before. Instead of just signing an online petition, I left my laptop at home and participated in the Reproductive Health and Rights Lobby Day in Olympia. I was joined by my dear friend Mary and a few hundred pro-choice activists from across the state of Washington.  It was announced that all but  four legislative districts were represented.
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Taking DNA Upon Arrest: Ineffective, Expensive, and Unconstitutional

Document, Published: 
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
SB 6314 would allow the collection of DNA samples from arrestees who have not yet been convicted of any crime. But this kind of DNA collection has not reduced crime in the states that have tried it. Analyzing the DNA of every felony arrestee is expensive, exacerbates crime lab backlogs, unfairly targets communities of color, and takes samples from large numbers of people who are unlikely to commit future crimes.
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