American Civil Liberties Union
Five State and Local Entities Safeguarding Our Civil Rights
State and local officials play direct and crucial roles in shaping and safeguarding our civil rights and civil liberties, especially amid the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks. These offices and officials – governors, state legislatures, attorneys general, and mayors – influence countless parts of our daily lives but, most importantly, their decisions can determine voter access, life-saving healthcare, gender-affirming care, and other vital rights the Trump administration has threatened Below, we break down the offices and officials who can – and must – uphold our rights. How Can Governors Combat Trump? Governors sign bills into law, determine law enforcement priorities, and develop state budgets, all of which directly impact our civil rights. For example, they can enact laws that either protect or ban abortion, and advance or hinder voting rights. Governors also wield influence over the criminal justice system. They supervise state law enforcement agencies, appoint corrections officials, and can advocate…
Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ Marks Continued Fight for Voting Rights
Sixty years ago, on March 7, 1965, hundreds of civil rights activists, also known as foot soldiers, marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to fight for the right to vote for Black people. As they marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Alabama State Troopers brutally beat them. The violence these activists endured became synonymous with the struggle for Black enfranchisement The Edmund Pettus Bridge march, alongside three other marches in Alabama, helped Congress recognize the urgency with which it must pass voting rights legislation. Mere weeks after the Edmund Pettus march, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was presented to Congress on March 17, 1965. President Johnson signed the bill into law on August 6, 1965. Since 1965, voting rights advocates have gathered in Alabama annually for the Selma Jubilee to mark the anniversary by marching the Edmund Pettus Bridge in remembrance. This was the first year the American Civil…
Trump's Attempt to Deride NLRB Won't Stop Power of Collective Actions
On March 6, a federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump illegally fired former National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) chair Gwynne Wilcox. The judge ordered that she be restored and allowed to fulfill her duties as a duly-appointed member of the NLRB. With its quorum now re-established, the NLRB can resume its mission enforcing workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). President Trump has opposed this important work, as shown by his email purporting to fire Wilcox, who is the only Black woman to ever serve on the NLRB In his email, Trump at turns ignored and derided the agency’s work, further undercutting his claims to be pro-worker. As he admitted, his decision to remove Wilcox was because she is pro-worker, as shown in her support for a pro-worker ‘joint employer’ rule, which, as the American Civil Liberties Union has argued, is essential to holding employers accountable for…
