News & Commentary

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.

In a letter today, the ACLU of Virginia has urged Gov. Terry McAuliffe to veto House Bill 1468. Patroned by Del. Robert Marshall (R-Fairfax), HB1468 is an unconstitutional, confusing "message" bill. Virginia already has some of the toughest laws regarding compliance with federal immigration law. Everyone's status is check when arrested and there is a presumption against bail for immigrants with detainers who have been accused of serious crimes. As well, federal courts have already declared that, absent a criminal warrant, people cannot be held in local jails for violation of civil immigration law. This bill also creates a conflict between a judge's order to release someone on bond for a minor crime and the local jail official's refusal to release that person except to federal officials. It is not the job of sheriffs and jail officials to enforce immigration law.

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.

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