News & Commentary

Indiana’s “short session” ended this week and the ACLU of Indiana and our supporters were a constant presence in the Statehouse - fighting tooth-and-nail to stop discriminatory legislation and advance measures to protect the rights of all Hoosiers. 

Over the past several weeks, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have seized the national spotlight and joined a proud tradition of student-led protest movements. From the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter, students across the country and here in Indiana have raised their voices to challenge the status quo and dismantle systems of oppression. 

Our legal case may be closed, but Exodus will continue to push back on the administration’s attempt to dismantle the national refugee program, while making sure we honor our commitments to the refugees who already call Indianapolis home.

Just a few years after RFRA wreaked havoc on our state and its economy, Indiana lawmakers are at it again – proposing legislation that targets LGBTQ young people and prevents educators from creating safe and welcoming educational environments for all students. 

Forty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a woman’s right to abortion. The landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade recognized that women have a fundamental right to decide when and whether to have a child – without undue political interference.

Whether you want to give the police a friendly a thumbs-up or the middle finger – the Constitution protects your right to do so.

This week the private prison company CoreCivic, in the face of a groundswell of public opposition, withdrew plans to build a private immigrant detention facility center in Elkhart County. 

On Sept. 24, Milo Smith took his daughter to an Indianapolis Colts’ game against the Cleveland Browns. Though the Colts won that day — a tragically rare occurrence this year — Smith left the game offended. During the national anthem, a group of players on both teams took a knee in reaction to President Trump’s comments two days earlier, where he called protesting players sons of bitches who should be fired by team ownership.

With President Trump’s mass deportation machine kicking into high gear, immigrants in Marion County can rest a little easier under the terms of an agreement affirmed by a federal court last week.