News & Commentary

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit on behalf of Kentucky abortion providers to challenge a state law banning physicians from providing a safe and medically proven abortion method called dilation and evacuation, or “D&E”. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signed the bill into law on April 10, and it took immediate effect. 

A federal court has denied a request that would have preliminarily barred the Governor’s office from permanently blocking and banning Kentuckians on its official Facebook and Twitter pages. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky filed a federal lawsuit aimed at stopping the Governor Office’s social media moderation practices that we believe lack the requisite narrow tailoring for any legitimate speech restriction.     Between Facebook and Twitter, more than 600 accounts had been permanently blocked from participating in these online, public forums, including the two Plaintiffs in this case, Mary Hargis and Drew Morgan. In denying preliminary injunction, the court found that Governor Bevin’s use of social media is “personal speech,” and that he is speaking on his own behalf, “even on his own behalf as a public official,” and the First Amendment does not apply.  

Ahead of the planned student walkouts on March 14, we sent a letter to several school districts to remind administrators of students’ free speech rights. Scroll down to view a PDF of the letter. 

For the second year, the ACLU of Kentucky has been selected from more than 2128 charitable organizations across the country to compete in Brackets For Good 2018. Starting Friday, March 2, the ACLU of Kentucky will rally supporters to advance in an online single-elimination bracket-style fundraising tournament with a grand prize of $10,000.

Robust, data-driven justice reform could be coming to the Commonwealth. The time is now as the state faces the prospect of a $600M increased cost to taxpayers and a 19% rise in prison populations over the next decade if no changes are made.

H/T ACLU of Virginia for gathering this information.  

Kentucky Youth Advocates highlights the urgency of criminal justice reforms in the Commonwealth

Ninth-highest overall rate, second-highest female rate demonstrate necessity of criminal justice reform in 2018 session of General Assembly

With a vote of 4-1 January 9th, Paducah (population 25,145) became the ninth Kentucky city to adopt a Fairness Ordinance, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.