News & Commentary

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.

Get to know ACLU of WV Community Outreach Coordinator, Mollie Kennedy. We recently sat down with Mollie to learn more about her background and why she decided to join team #ACLUWV. Below is our Q and A.

Early in the morning of May 6, 2016, Weirton Police Officer Stephen Mader responded to a domestic dispute call. When he arrived on the scene, he encountered R.J. Williams, a young African American man. When Officer Mader asked Mr. Williams to show his hands, Mr. Williams revealed that he was holding a gun. As Mr. Williams began waiving his gun around, Officer Mader ordered him to drop his weapon. Mr. Williams ignored Officer Mader’s demand and repeatedly responded, “Just shoot me.”

The First Amendment guarantees a free press. The United States’ second president, John Adams, said, “the liberty of the press is essential to the security of the state.” Even Thomas Jefferson, who had a quarrelsome relationship with the press said, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press.”

Hunting is deeply ingrained in the culture of West Virginia. It’s a tradition passed down from generation to generation across Appalachia. Indeed, the WV Constitution has a provision that guarantees people’s right to keep and bear arms for “lawful hunting and recreational use.”

In a historic vote, the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 386, which provides for the legalization of medicinal marijuana.

Last Monday, at a public hearing with the House Judiciary Committee, people gathered to share their stories and voice their opposition to House Bill 2002, which infringed upon young women’s right to terminate a pregnancy without parental involvement. Private citizens joined ACLU-WV and other civil liberties organizations like WV FREE and WV Citizen Action Group in addressing members of the committee.