News & Commentary

Religious refusals are a growing threat in Illinois and across the nation. Each of us has the right to our individual religious beliefs, but the exercise of religious freedom does not include the right to impose our beliefs on others. The Supreme Court’s decision in Hobby Lobby – allowing employers to use their religious beliefs to justify denying employees birth control under their insurance – is just the most recent, public example of this threat; and, the Supreme Court GOT IT WRONG!

The Windy City Times has a great photo and short write-up of ACLU of Illinois Board Chair Jill M. Metz receiving the prestigious Edward J. Lewis Pro Bono Award from the Chicago Bar Foundation at their annual luncheon on July 15, 2014. Throughout her career as a renowned and experienced lawyer, Jill Metz has advocated for equality by litigating on behalf of LGBT people, and was inducted into the Lesbian and Gay Hall of Fame in 2006. That same year, Jill became the Board Chair of the ACLU of Illinois, having served on the board since 1999. 

Last Friday, ACLU of Illinois Executive Director participated on a panel reviewing the implications of civil liberties for the recently-completed term of the Supreme Court of the United States. (Spoiler alert: not a lot of good news!)

The Chicago Sun Times editorial board weighed in today calling on Chicago Public Schools to reintroduce race as a factor when determining admissions to the City's select enrollment high schools. Recent data shows that the enrollment level of African American students has decreased since a long-time federal consent decree to assure racial integration of Chicago public schools was vacated by the courts several years ago.

ACLU of Illinois Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka recently appeared on local news station WICS-TV via Skype to discuss Illinois law enforcement agencies' use of cell phone tracking technology called "StingRays." The equipment, manufactured by Florida-based company Harris corp., essentially operates by mimicking a cell-phone tower in order to locate individual electronic devices. The ACLU of Illinois has been concerned about this type of technology for some time, and with recent efforts by Florida law enforcement to conceal how they are using StingRays, the concern has prompted WICS to file a FOIA request with Illinois State Police to investigate how the technology is being used in our state.

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -George SantayanaThis week, the undergraduate and law studen

This Letter to the Editor appeared on the Chicago Tribune website on Wednesday, July 2, 2014

The law, it seems, has failed too many students in Illinois' public schools. According to reliable reports, more than half of Illinois students have been verbally harassed in school, while almost a quarter have been victims of physical harassment. This bullying—and the lack of meaningful policies to successfully prevent or address such behavior—turns school for too many youth from a safe place to learn and grow, into a nightmare to be feared and avoided. Sadly, bullying often targets students with learning disabilities or medical conditions that affect their appearance. And for victims, bullying’s not just emotionally harmful: it increases suicide risk and affects academic success.Part of the problem is that reporting bully