News & Commentary

A divided federal appeals court has upheld a Kentucky law that requires doctors to display and describe the details of an ultrasound to a woman, as well as make the fetal heartbeat audible, prior to providing an abortion procedure — even if the woman is closing her eyes or asking the doctor to stop and even when the doctor believes it would be harmful to the patient.  

The American Civil Liberties Union announced March 14th it will file a lawsuit on behalf of the sole remaining abortion provider in Kentucky challenging a near total ban on abortion. The announcement comes immediately after the Kentucky legislature passed Senate Bill 9, a bill that would ban abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy before most women know they are pregnant.

The American Civil Liberties Union announced March 13 it will be filing a lawsuit on behalf of the sole remaining abortion provider in Kentucky, challenging the Kentucky legislature’s latest abortion ban. The announcement comes after the Kentucky legislature passed House Bill 5, a bill that would bar a woman from having an abortion if she decided to have one because of a fetal diagnosis. It also bans abortions based on the sex, race, national origin, or ancestry of the fetus. 

ACLU of Kentucky members who have paid their dues within the past 15 months are eligible to vote for the organization’s Board of Directors. As a current member of the ACLU of Kentucky, you are eligible to vote for candidates in this year’s election for Statewide Board of Directors. Candidates are running for three-year terms ending in 2022. You may vote either online using this ballot or in person at the Annual Meeting and Open House on April 18, 2019 in Louisville, KY (325 W. Main Street, Suite 2210). Online votes must be cast no later than noon on April 15, 2019.

The Board of Directors and staff of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (ACLU-KY) would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Suzanne Kling Post. Suzy was an indomitable spirit who spent a lifetime speaking out against injustice in every form.

The First Amendment right to record the police is a critical check and balance for people living in a free, open, and democratic society. It promotes the free discussion of governmental affairs as well as protects the democratic process. And for some communities, it’s a vital tool for uncovering, if not deterring, police misconduct.

Anti-abortion politicians wasted no time going after Roe v. Wade after the midterm elections. Recently, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a ban on abortion starting at six weeks in pregnancy, which would effectively ban almost all abortions given that most people don’t know they are even pregnant at that time. 

The ACLU of Kentucky is accepting applications from third-year law students, judicial clerks, and recent law school graduates for its Legal Fellowship.  The Legal Fellowship is a two-year program that will begin in the late summer/fall of 2019 and is a full-time position.  The Legal Fellow will participate in both litigation and non-litigation advocacy activities to advance civil liberties and civil rights in Kentucky. The Legal Fellow will work under the direction of the ACLU of Kentucky’s Legal Director to help develop and litigate cases at the trial and appellate level in state and federal courts on a wide variety of cutting-edge civil liberties issues. Likely areas of emphasis include criminal justice/smart justice, reproductive freedom, free speech, and immigration.

A Kentucky Sheriff’s office agreed to pay more than $337,000 after a deputy sheriff illegally and painfully handcuffed two elementary school children in 2014. The American Civil Liberties Union initiated a lawsuit in 2015.