Last week, victims of civil rights abuses by police scored two victories in Massachusetts and New York. In Massachusetts, in Stamps v. Framingham, the federal First Circuit Court of Appeals held that a police officer who holds a loaded gun at the head of a non-threatening, compliant individual, with the gun’s safety off, cannot avoid […]
Last week, in Cole v. Carson, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Texas held that a teenager who was shot by police could take the police to court for federal civil rights violations. The teen had recently broken up with his girlfriend and had walked into the woods pointing a gun […]
Last week, federal courts in Washington D.C. and Michigan issued orders affirming the civil liberties of deaf prisoners and suicidal individuals who call police for help during a mental health emergency. In Washington D.C., a federal court held that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires prisons to affirmatively provide appropriate communication services for deaf inmates. […]
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued opinions in six cases that improve or maintain civil liberties. In the most highly awaited case, Obergefell v Hodges, the court legalized gay marriage in all states.
Last week was a busy week for privacy and free speech advocates. In New York, a federal appeals court issued a decision finding that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) telephone metadata collection program is illegal. In California, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction against a San Diego jail policy allowing “postcards only” for inmates. […]
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a rare glimmer of hope in a case called Rodriguez v. United States. In the case, the court held that police cannot extend a routine traffic stop to use a drug dog to sniff a stopped vehicle for drugs.
