News & Commentary

Recently, a 17-year-old undocumented teenager from Central America was detained in Texas after trying to cross the border into the United States.  Soon afterward, she learned she was pregnant and asserted that she wanted an abortion.  Jane Doe, as she is named in court filings, required permission from a judge to obtain her abortion because of the parental consent laws in Texas.  Jane’s Due Process, a nonprofit that works with pregnant minors in the state, helped her to successfully get a judge’s permission and collect funds for the procedure.  The abortion was scheduled for the end of September, before her second trimester would begin.

In early August, an FBI intelligence assessment was leaked taking aim at a new classifications dubbed “Black Identity Extremists.”  The FBI assessment labeled these groups as dangerous and a “very likely threat” to law enforcement personnel. The document, which was not intended to be released to the public, raises significant concerns that the FBI could unfairly target black community leaders who are constitutionally exercising their 1st Amendment rights.

In this episode, Jamie and Eli Baumwell (ACLU-WV Policy Director) give an update on what the ACLU-WV has been up to. We talk about DACA, ICE raids and arrests, your rights during an ICE raid, “nuisance” ordinances proliferating around West Virginia, writing angry FOIA requests, federal judges writing footnotes about Dr. Evil, and more.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today with the Clay County Schools Superintendent, Joe Paxton, and the Clay County Sherriff’s Office regarding an alleged incident that involved a school bus driver’s use of a gay slur.

In episode 3 of Civil Fights, Jamie and Noah talk about Jamie’s now-famous amicus brief in Marshall County Coal v. Oliver (in which coal baron Bob Murray sued John Oliver for being mean to him).

Today, we filed an amicus brief in The Marshall County Coal Company et al. v. John Oliver et al. The lawsuit involves coal baron Bob Murray (the CEO of the Murray Energy Corporation, which owns the Marshall County Coal Company), who has a history of violating mine safety regulations and financially supporting politicians—including President Donald Trump—who will advance an agenda that enriches coal executives while leaving miners in harm’s way. Murray also has a history of suing media outlets that call out his unethical practices, which is where this case come into play.

In the early hours of Friday, July 28, an effort to repeal former President Obama’s Affordable Care Act collapsed. Late Thursday, as concerned citizens across the country gradually gave up the wait and went to sleep, it looked increasingly likely that the “skinny repeal”—an unpopular measure to repeal one key component of the ACA and give the bill to the House of Representatives—would pass. However, in a stunning moment, Republican Senator John McCain voted “no” on the measure. In doing so, his vote joined expected “no” votes from Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, as well as the entire Democratic caucus, to end this latest effort to destroy a law that has helped millions of Americans gain health coverage.

This week on Civil Fights, Jamie and Noah give a legal update on Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban and which parts of it are now being enforced, following the Supreme Court’s intervention.

Welcome to the launch of Civil Fights, a new podcast from the ACLU of West Virginia where we try to break down legal and constitutional issues in a way that makes sense to everyone—not just constitutional scholars and federal judges.