A federal law, known as the Court Interpreter’s Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1827-28, states that the court must appoint an interpreter, paid for by the government, for anyone standing trial, such as a defendant in a criminal case, if the judge determines that the person does not speak English. ACLU-DE was recently called upon to [...]
News
ACLU-DE Defends Safehouses
Cooperating Attorneys Chaney Hall and Dan Wolcott of Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP and ACLU-DE are representing the operator of two shelters that provide housing and other assistance for released prisoners, including registered sex offenders. The shelters had been operating without incident when the registered offenders were told they had to find other housing because [...]
Posted in News Tagged Due Process, Fifth Amendment, Legal Cases, Reduce Incarceration, Sixth Amendment Leave a comment
High School Changes Choral Program To Respect Religious Freedom
A New Castle County high school changed its concert selections for 2011-2012 to bring them within constitutional requirements, after receiving correspondence from ACLU-DE and the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. The correspondence was sent on behalf of a high school music student who had been compelled to choose between singing a substantial [...]
Hispanics Recognized in Redistricting of Sussex Co.
Legislative redistricting has put the majority of Hispanic citizens in Sussex County in the same House of Representtives district. Before the redistricting, the Latino community near Georgetown had been split into three different districts. The change gives the Hispanic community a much stronger voice in the state legislature. The Hispanic Community Redistricting Task Force worked with House [...]
ACLU Backs Limits to GPS Tracking by Police
ACLU-DE filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Delaware Supreme Court last week urging the justices to uphold a decision that requires police to have a warrant when they place a global positioning system (GPS) tracking device on a car to obtain information on its location and movements. “I think most people would be shocked to [...]
Posted in News Tagged Fourth Amendment, Legal Cases, Press Release, Technology and Privacy Leave a comment
Civil Unions Signed into Law
On May 11th, Governor Jack Markell signed Senate Bill 30 into law, making Delaware the eighth state to grant comprehensive same-sex relationship rights.
ACLU Notifies Sussex County Council of Free Speech Violation
The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware (ACLU-DE) has sent a letter to the Sussex County Council explaining that council rule 17.6 is unconstitutional and must be rescinded. The rule requires that individuals wishing to address the council during the “Additional Business” portion of a council meeting must agree in writing that they will not [...]
Christina School District Agrees to Modify Discipline Policies
The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware (ACLU-DE) and the Christina School District Board of Education have agreed to settle a complaint pending before the State Human Relations Commission, including provisions that will modify current school disciplinary policies to ensure fairer treatment for students. As part of the settlement, the school district will also rescind [...]
Posted in News Tagged Legal Cases, Press Release, School-to-Prison Pipeline, Students Rights, Zero Tolerance Leave a comment
Time to Repeal the Death Penalty
Several states in the U.S. have already eliminated the death penalty, recognizing that it is a violation of human rights. It is high time that Delaware follow suit. Learn why.
Case of Derek J. Hale
Tasered 3 times and then shot to death by Wilmington police officers, the case of this former marine highlights police accountability issues that must be addressed.