At Liberty is a weekly podcast that explores the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties questions of our time. Catch new episodes on Thursday at 9am ET.
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April 18, 2024
SCOTUS Will Decide If Homelessness Can be Punished
On April 22, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass, the most significant court case about the rights of people experiencing homelessness in decades. At its core, Grants Pass will decide whether cities are allowed to punish people for things like sleeping outside with a...
SCOTUS Will Decide If Homelessness Can be Punished April 18, 2024
SCOTUS Will Decide If Homelessness Can be Punished
SCOTUS Will Decide If Homelessness Can be PunishedOn April 22, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass, the most significant court case about the rights of people experiencing homelessness in decades. At its core, Grants Pass will...
April 11, 2024
Live from Brooklyn Public Library: The Power of Poetry and Magical Thinking
From the ACLU, this is At Liberty. I'm Kendall Ciesemier, your host. A month ago, we visited one of our favorite spots, the library. You know, at the ACLU, we love a good library. So much so that we even spent a recent Saturday night at the Brooklyn Public Library,...
Live from Brooklyn Public Library: The Power of Poetry and Magical Thinking April 11, 2024
Live from Brooklyn Public Library: The Power of Poetry and Magical Thinking
Live from Brooklyn Public Library: The Power of Poetry and Magical ThinkingFrom the ACLU, this is At Liberty. I'm Kendall Ciesemier, your host. A month ago, we visited one of our favorite spots, the library. You know, at the ACLU, we love a good library. So...
April 4, 2024
The Most Extreme Anti-Immigration Bill We've Seen
Last December, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4, one of the most extreme pieces of anti-immigrant legislation to emerge from any state legislature. Under S.B. 4, local and state law enforcement can arrest people they suspect to have entered Texas without federal authorization. It also permits Texas judges, who are...
The Most Extreme Anti-Immigration Bill We've Seen April 4, 2024
The Most Extreme Anti-Immigration Bill We've Seen
The Most Extreme Anti-Immigration Bill We've SeenLast December, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4, one of the most extreme pieces of anti-immigrant legislation to emerge from any state legislature. Under S.B. 4, local and state law enforcement can arrest people they...
March 28, 2024
Special Edition: Abortion Is Back at the Supreme Court
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that will determine if nationwide restrictions are imposed on access to mifepristone, a safe medication used in more than half of all U.S. abortions, and for miscarriage treatment. What the court decides later this year will have significant implications...
Special Edition: Abortion Is Back at the Supreme Court March 28, 2024
Special Edition: Abortion Is Back at the Supreme Court
Special Edition: Abortion Is Back at the Supreme CourtOn Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that will determine if nationwide restrictions are imposed on access to mifepristone, a safe medication used in more than half of all U.S. abortions,...
March 21, 2024
In 'Problemista,' Julio Torres Crafts an Imaginative Immigration Story
The United States is home to the largest immigrant population in the world, with hundreds of thousands more seeking asylum and citizenship. America would not be what it is today if not for immigration and the contributions of millions of those who have come here, bolstering the population, strengthening the...
In 'Problemista,' Julio Torres Crafts an Imaginative Immigration Story March 21, 2024
In 'Problemista,' Julio Torres Crafts an Imaginative Immigration Story
In 'Problemista,' Julio Torres Crafts an Imaginative Immigration StoryThe United States is home to the largest immigrant population in the world, with hundreds of thousands more seeking asylum and citizenship. America would not be what it is today if not for immigration and...
March 14, 2024
This Economic Policy Could Break the Poverty Cycle
The “American dream” has long been regarded as the pinnacle of success, rewarded to all who display hard work and pick themselves up by their bootstraps when life knocks them down. This might be our culture’s prevailing narrative, but it actually rarely bears out this way. The truth is that...
This Economic Policy Could Break the Poverty Cycle March 14, 2024
This Economic Policy Could Break the Poverty Cycle
This Economic Policy Could Break the Poverty CycleThe “American dream” has long been regarded as the pinnacle of success, rewarded to all who display hard work and pick themselves up by their bootstraps when life knocks them down. This might be our...
March 7, 2024
Biden's Border Politics Won't Fix Our Immigration System
At the end of 2023, migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high of 250,000, with a surge of individuals and families entering cities like Chicago, Denver, New York, Houston, and Los Angeles. Despite this, politicians and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continue to struggle to...
Biden's Border Politics Won't Fix Our Immigration System March 7, 2024
Biden's Border Politics Won't Fix Our Immigration System
Biden's Border Politics Won't Fix Our Immigration SystemAt the end of 2023, migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high of 250,000, with a surge of individuals and families entering cities like Chicago, Denver, New York, Houston, and Los Angeles....
February 29, 2024
In Alabama, Embryos Are People and It Won't Stop There
On February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children under state law, meaning the embryo has rights consistent with a person living in the United States. While this marks the first time a frozen embryo has been granted personhood, it is not the first time we’ve...
In Alabama, Embryos Are People and It Won't Stop There February 29, 2024
In Alabama, Embryos Are People and It Won't Stop There
In Alabama, Embryos Are People and It Won't Stop ThereOn February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children under state law, meaning the embryo has rights consistent with a person living in the United States. While this marks the first...
February 22, 2024
This Case Could Upend the Death Penalty In North Carolina
On August 10th, 2009, the North Carolina legislature passed the Racial Justice Act, or RJA. A first of its kind law that allows people on death row to challenge their sentences if they could show race played a factor at the time of their trial. This historic legislation allowed us...
This Case Could Upend the Death Penalty In North Carolina February 22, 2024
This Case Could Upend the Death Penalty In North Carolina
This Case Could Upend the Death Penalty In North CarolinaOn August 10th, 2009, the North Carolina legislature passed the Racial Justice Act, or RJA. A first of its kind law that allows people on death row to challenge their sentences if they could show...
February 15, 2024
3 States, 3 Plaintiffs, and the Fight for Fair District Maps
Since 1965, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) has been integral to protecting people of color at the polls. But in recent decades, the strength of the VRA has been diminished by decisions like Shelby County v. Holder in 2013, and the subsequent influx of voter restrictions imposed by states. Despite...
3 States, 3 Plaintiffs, and the Fight for Fair District Maps February 15, 2024
3 States, 3 Plaintiffs, and the Fight for Fair District Maps
3 States, 3 Plaintiffs, and the Fight for Fair District MapsSince 1965, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) has been integral to protecting people of color at the polls. But in recent decades, the strength of the VRA has been diminished by decisions like Shelby County...