News & Commentary

Social media is replete with memes cheering the end of 2016. It has been a tough year in many ways; though, there have been some highlights, including -- according to many of my colleagues -- the Cubs winning the World Series. But the year also has provided a number of highlights in Illinois from a civil liberties perspective. So, as the year winds down to the last few days, here are ten positive civil liberties developments in Illinois during 2016:

There have been many encouraging developments over the past few days. Millions of Americans have vocally reiterated their support for civil liberties and reaffirmed their commitment to the proposition that liberty and equality are not zero-sum games; these human rights belong to all of us! We have been overwhelmed - in a positive way - by the number of people who have called, emailed, and stopped us on the street, asking: how can we help defend the Constitution?

Each year, the nominating committee of the ACLU Board of Directors submits a slate of nominees to join the Board.  This year’s election will be held in November 2016.

“This Board should not be our students’ first bully.”

Last week, our colleague John Knight participated in a press conference with County Clerk David Orr to mark the issuance of the 10,000 marriage license to a gay or lesbian couple in Cook County. Later in the week, the Clerk’s office hit the magic number. 

Learn about what's happening across the most pressing civil liberties issues of our time, and what you can do.

Earlier this week, Illinois’ Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and leaders from the Democratic-controlled legislature took a break from campaigning and gathered together at a ceremony in Chicago to smile for cameras and extol the spirit of compromise as the governor signed legislation aimed at reforming the state’s broken criminal justice system.

The ACLU’s work on behalf of transgender rights, especially students who are transgender, brings us into contact with advocates from the LGBT community that we have worked with for many years. But we also are working with new partners, with special expertise and understanding of the issues faced by people who are transgender. One such organization is the Gender and Sex Development Program at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The program, which provides a holistic set of services to young people who are transgender and their families, has been in operation for three years. Recently, we interviewed Dr. Robert Garofalo, the co-director of the Program, to discuss his work and the needs of transgender youth.ACLU: Has any

It was another busy summer in Springfield this session. With the budget impasse looming, our legislative efforts at times felt insurmountable. Luckily, to the benefit of our great state and all of its residents, we were able to advance critical measures that set new precedents for civil liberties and human rights in Illinois. Here is a brief roundup of some of the bills we worked on, and the progress we made: