News & Commentary

I was so proud to be a member of the ACLU family on June 26th when the SB 75—the Civil Marriage Equality legislation. Now, married same-sex couples who live in Delaware will be treated comparably to heterosexual couples and will be able to file joint Federal and State tax returns, receive Social Security survivor benefits, avoid inheritance taxes on jointly owned property and benefit from over 1,000 other provisions of federal law based on marital status.

Each summer, we invite a select number of law students to complete an internship in our office. This season, we welcomed three fabulous interns, each of whom brought a passion for helping the Delaware community to their work. We thank them for spending their summer with us!

ACLU National and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Tuesday afternoon to challenge the constitutionality of a recently revealed government spying program. Learn more about the suit and what you can do here.

ACLU National recently released the results of a nationwide study on marijuana arrests. While there were varying results for each state, the arrest data revealed one nationally consistent trend: significant racial bias.

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee heard arguments about SB 19, the bill to repeal the death penalty. Six committee votes were needed for the bill to advance. We got five. This does not mean the bill has been killed, though. What needs to happen so the bill can move forward is for that last signature to be secured. The most valuable way you can contribute to that effort is to reach out to the committee members and urge them to sign. Please take two minutes to email them; your voice will make all the difference.

As the legislative session resumes tomorrow, we are eager to see SB19, the bill to repeal the death penalty, move into the House of Representatives. If you haven't been following the bill's progress, this short video gives some good background and includes perspectives from both sides of the issue.

Senate Bill 19 passed the Delaware Senate!Thanks to all of your emails, phone calls, letters and meetings, the Delaware Senate passed the death penalty repeal bill (Senate Bill 19) 11 to 10!!

A recent whitepaper prepared by the Homeless Planning Council of Delaware highlights discriminatory practices that make the lives of individuals and families who are homelessness in Delaware even more difficult than they already are. Read the full report here.

The ACLU of Delaware's Stay in School Workshops are now in their second year. We have reached 186 students from 39 schools across New Castle County. Read more about our progress here.