News & Commentary

The stories have been tragic. A series of reports in Chicago media have reported on a number of deaths of children, children who have had previous contact with Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

It is almost impossible to capture the sense of celebration and joy that was present yesterday when Governor Pat Quinn signed into law Senate Bill 10, making Illinois the 16th state to recognize the freedom to marry. Perhaps no line better captured the spirit of the moment than one uttered by Illinois' Lt. Governor Sheila Simon: "It is time to stop planning rallies and start planning weddings!"

A Chicago Sun-Times editorial questions whether or not Orland Park Public Libraries should block and filter pornographic websites from library computers. Unfortunately, filters and blocks consequentially end up blocking legitimate science and research sites that have nothing to do with porn. The American Library Association argues that censorship cripples the very purpose of a library’s existence which is to “provide information and enlightenment.” The ACLU of Illinois has long fought against censorship in libraries:

ACLU of Illinois Associate Legal Director Ben Wolf appeared on WBEZ to discuss the recent news of an increased number of child deaths due to abuse and neglect in children who have had previous contact with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).  For more than two decades, the ACLU of Illinois has been working to reform the child welfare system in Illinois, through a consent decree overseen by a federal court that has led to substantial changes to DCFS. Listen to the segment below:

Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist, composer, and singer Esperanza Spalding today released We Are America, a new music video highlighting the injustice of prolonged indefinite detention at the prison at Guantánamo Bay. She discusses her motivations for the project below.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting on children who are under investigation by the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) dying from child abuse and neglect. The article highlights the apparent inability on the part of DCFS to be able to handle the number of investigations under their purview. The ACLU of Illinois represents all children in the Illinois foster care system as part of our decades-long suit, B.H. v. McEwan. In 2012, we negotioated an agreement with DCFS to increase the number of child abuse and neglect investigators.

ACLU of Illinois Associate Legal Director Ben Wolf appeared on WBEZ's program "Morning Shift" to discuss the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services' (DCFS) failure to respond to reports of child abuse and neglect, which resulted in an increase of death amongst children who had been in contact with the agency. The ACLU of Illinois has been monitoring DCFS for decades under a consent decree reached in the case of B.H. v. McEwen. You can listen to the program below. Ben's segment comes in at 27:05:

On August 15th, Illinois’ Parental Notice of Abortion Act went into effect. Under the Act, health care providers are required to notify an adult family member (defined as a parent, grandparent, stepparent who lives with the minor or legal guardian) 48 hours before performing an abortion for a patient who is under 18.

The Chicago Sun-Times has an editorial today about the use of surveillance drones nationwide, and local efforts to place modest limits on their use by law enforcement. There were a whopping 96 bills related to drone surveillance in 42 states that came up this year alone. Illinois was one of eight states to pass drone regulation legislation -- a bill that was signed by Governor Pat Quinn this summer. Already, lawmakers are looking ahead to prepare for the next step in protecting our rights to privacy as surveillance technology advances.