On the Agenda: January 9 - 13, 2012

This week, we reflect on 10 years since the first prisoners arrived at the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay. Later today, we’ll release a new infographic about detention at Gitmo. And later this week, we’ll have a podcast interview with Lakhdar Boumediene, who wrote about his 7 ½-year detention in The New York Times yesterday. Boumediene was also the lead plaintiff in Boumediene v. Bush, the landmark Supreme Court case that ruled prisoners like him must have a meaningful opportunity to challenge their confinement.

January 11

National Security: January 11 marks 10 years since the first prisoner arrived in Guantánamo Bay, making it the longest-standing war prison in U.S. history. Almost 800 men have passed through Guantanamo’s cells.Today, 171 men remain, 89 of whom security services and military have unanimously determined should be released.

Women's Rights: Oral argument at the Supreme Court in the Coleman v. Maryland case concerning the self-care provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is coming up on January 11. The Court is going to decide whether state employees may sue their employers for violations of the FMLA’s self-care provision. If not, state workers who need to take time off for pregnancy and childbirth, as well as other medical conditions, may not be able to, setting women workers back many decades. The ACLU and the ACLU of Maryland signed on to an amicus brief by the National Partnership for Women and Families.

Criminal Law Reform: The ACLU and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities will release Improving Budget Analysis of State Criminal Justice Reforms: A Strategy for Better Outcomes and Saving Money. The report’s suggested improvements will help states better understand the fiscal savings of these reforms and enact new laws that will rely less on prisons, continue to protect public safety, and promote fairness.

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