News & Commentary

By David Smith Guest Writer

When politicians use social media to conduct public business, the First Amendment demands that critics not be silenced.

We will continue to work against each other on issues on which we don’t and can’t agree and will seek to bring others to those causes. We know others will do the same.

Today, 44 U.S. senators sent Attorney General Jeff Sessions a letter expressing strong opposition to his reversal of the Department of Justice's position that made clear that discrimination against transgender people was a violation of federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination, such as Title VII.

The ACLU of Virginia supports unequivocally the freedom of professors, students and administrators to teach, learn, discuss and debate or to express ideas, opinions or feelings in classroom, public or private discourse.

The decision to represent Jason Kessler, organizer of the Unite the Right rally, wasn’t an affirmation of his views — which we abhor — any more than our advocacy for freedom of religion signals support for the use of religion as a justification for discrimination.

Guest Blog by Diane E. Burkley Alejandro is a member of the Fairfax Virginia People Power Group. Ms. Alejandro wrote about how her local People Power group has worked to advocate for the ACLU's Freedom Cities model policy.

Voting, like freedom of speech and religion, is a fundamental right that government cannot deny. It is time we made clear that the vote is the essential currency of democracy, and it belongs to the people.

As Virginia voters prepare for the fall elections for our three statewide offices, it’s important to focus some attention on the race for the job of attorney general. Here are some questions to ask that will help you decide whom to hire as Virginia’s lawyer when you enter the voting booth on Nov. 7.