Recent Articles

New Plan for Protecting Genetic Privacy: Don't Get Arrested.

Noam Biale
May 19, 2008 20:49

(Also, don't be an immigrant.) A few weeks ago, the Justice Department quietly released proposed regulations that would permit the collection and permanent retention of DNA from anyone arrested for a federal crime, or any non-US person detained under federal authorities. As I wrote on Daily...

It's Not Choice, It's Inequality

Noam Biale
May 19, 2008 18:55

Today the ACLU filed a lawsuit charging that Breckenridge County, Ky., and the U.S. Department of Education are violating the law by allowing sex-segregation in public schools. School districts across the country have been touting the “choice” that sex-segregated programs offer...

VIP Justice

Noam Biale
May 19, 2008 17:45

The latest Civil Discourse comic goes after the absurd 100-to-1 disparity in sentencing laws for crack cocaine. It goes like this: Trafficking crack cocaine (cheap and used primarily by the poor) can get you the same prison sentence as dealing 100 times the amount of powder cocaine (much more...

The California Decision

Noam Biale
May 16, 2008 20:26

The California Supreme Court decision is so amazing I couldn't resist sharing at least a little of it. From a constitutional lawyer's standpoint, this decision is just about everything we could have hoped for. The Court rules—in general—that sexual orientation is not a legitimate...

Court Reviews More Torture Docs

Noam Biale
May 16, 2008 18:54

On Monday, the District Court of the Southern District of New York reviewed several documents the CIA and Department of Defense is withholding from the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. Among those documents is another torture memo—possibly the most important of all the torture...

Putting the Military Commission Cart Before the Horse

Noam Biale
May 15, 2008 19:36

Last night the Pentagon announced that it wants to arraign the five detainees it just charged on Tuesday on June 5. Meanwhile, the Pentagon hasn't even given the detainees full access to their prospective lawyers yet. So what's the freakin' rush? One guess: Could it be the much-publicized ...

Victory in the Regina McKnight Case

Noam Biale
May 15, 2008 19:23

Earlier this week, the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Regina McKnight, a woman convicted in 2001 of homicide after suffering a stillbirth and admitting to cocaine usage, did not have a fair trial. In so doing, the court recognized that McKnight's counsel failed to make use...

WE WON IN CALIFORNIA!

Noam Biale
May 15, 2008 18:39

We won the marriage case in California. No need for hyperbole here; this is big; big in terms of what it does, big in terms of what it means, and big in terms of the opportunity for progress it gives us (I'll suggest some of the ways to take advantage of that opportunity below). Simply having the...

FISA: Deal or No Deal?

Noam Biale
May 14, 2008 20:45

Here in Washington, rumors are swirling about a deal on FISA being brokered by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Ranking Intelligence Committee Member Senator Kit Bond. We’re taking the news to heart and getting ready for the other shoe to drop in this saga. Letting the Protect ...

Minnesota Passes Veto-Proof Anti-Real ID Bill

Noam Biale
May 14, 2008 18:27

Last night, Minnesota joined 18 other states in rejecting Real ID, the Department of Homeland Security's attempt at a national ID card. More states are jumping on the anti-Real ID bandwagon. Noam Biale, Advocacy Coordinator for our Technology and Liberty Project, writes in DailyKos...