Self-help information through various links, documents, publications, etc. Check the Community Directory Channel for more resources.
There are 20 resources
ACLU Criminal Justice Information
(Separate Website)
Use the resources on this American Civil Liberties Union web page to learn more and take action to protect the rights guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights.
By: American Civil Liberties Union
ACLU Death Penalty Information
(Separate Website)
The death penalty is the greatest denial of civil liberties. Read about why the ACLU is working towards a moratorium and how you can help. Topics include: (1) Innocent people are being sentenced to death, (2) Almost all people on death row could not afford to hire an attorney, (3) Race often plays a role in determining a capital sentence, (4) Where a death sentence is sought often determines whether a defendant is sentenced to death more than the circumstances of the crime, (5) Juvenile offenders (16 and 17 years old) are sentenced to death and executed in the U.S. even though kids are not given the same responsibilities of adults.
By: American Civil Liberties Union
Additional Constitutional Protections: Voting, Privacy, Bearing Arms
This document provides a brief overview of certain additional rights under the US Constitution, answering the following questions: What constitutional rights are there besides those in the First Amendment? Is there a right to bear arms? Is there a right to privacy? Is there a right to vote?
What do some of the amendments in the Bill of Rights say? The document is excerpted from An Introduction to Law in Georgia, Fourth Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Affirmative Action
(Separate Website)
For federal contractors and subcontractors, affirmative action must be taken by covered employers to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. Affirmative actions include training programs, outreach efforts, and other positive steps. These procedures should be incorporated into the company’s written personnel policies. Employers with written affirmative action programs must implement them, keep them on file and update them annually.
By: U.S. Department of Labor
CDT's Guide to On-Line Privacy
(Separate Website)
This document provides detailed information about privacy rights through the Constitution, legislation and agency inititiatives, legislation before Congress, and resources for protecting your medical, financial, and other information.
By: Center for Democracy and Technology
Civil Rights and Drug Policy
(Separate Website)
The "War on Drugs" is not working. After decades of criminal prohibition and intensive law enforcement efforts to rid the country of illegal drugs, violent traffickers still endanger life in our cities and tons of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana still cross our borders unimpeded.
By: American Civil Liberties Union
Civil Rights and Drug Policy
(Separate Website)
The "War on Drugs" is not working. After decades of criminal prohibition and intensive law enforcement efforts to rid the country of illegal drugs, violent traffickers still endanger life in our cities and tons of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana still cross our borders unimpeded.
By: American Civil Liberties Union
Civil Rights of the Poor
(Separate Website)
Poor people are one of the least powerful groups in the US and their civil liberties are therefore always in a precarious state. The ACLU has historically defended the rights of the poor against government arbitrariness and abuse. Today, that work continues.
By: American Civil Liberties Union
Consumer Privacy Issues - FTC Web Site
(Separate Website)
Advances in computer technology have made it possible for detailed information about people to be compiled and shared more easily and cheaply than ever. That's good for society as a whole and individual consumers. For example, it is easier for law enforcement to track down criminals, for banks to prevent fraud, and for consumers to learn about new products and services, allowing them to make better-informed purchasing decisions. At the same time, as personal information becomes more accessible, each of us - companies, associations, government agencies, and consumers - must take precautions to protect against the misuse of that information. The Federal Trade Commission is educating consumers and businesses about the importance of personal information privacy. Read more about our efforts, what we've learned, and what you can do to protect the privacy of your personal information.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Explore the U.S. Constitution
(Separate Website)
This web site contains: Facts about the United States Constitution, Information about Basic Governing Principles, the Founding Fathers, Founding Documents (such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence) and Constitutional History Links.
By: National Constitution Center
Free Speech
(Separate Website)
It is no accident that freedom of speech is protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
By: American Civil Liberties Union
How Our Laws Are Made in the United States
(Separate Website)
This web site contains detailed information about the legislative process - how laws are made in the United States.
By: THOMAS - Legislative Information on the Internet
Language Access Brochure
(Separate Website)
Rights of persons with limited English proficiency. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Privacy and Technology
(Separate Website)
The United States is at risk of turning into a full-fledged surveillance society. The tremendous explosion in surveillance-enabling technologies, combined with the ongoing weakening in legal restraints that protect our privacy mean that we are drifting toward a surveillance society. The good news is that it can be stopped. Unfortunately, right now the big picture is grim.
By: American Civil Liberties Union
Reproductive Rights for Lesbians and Gay Men
(Separate Website)
As an organization representing the lesbian and gay community's belief in the constitutional right to individual liberty, decision making, and bodily autonomy, Lambda Legal strongly supports the position that women in our society are constitutionally entitled to make their own decisions about whether to choose abortion and to make other reproductive decisions for themselves.
By: LAMBDA Legal Defense & Education Fund
The Legislative Process for the Federal Government
(Separate Website)
This web page describes the basic process for Congress to pass laws for the United States.
By: U.S. House of Representatives
The Origins of Judicial Independence and Protection under the Constitution
(Separate Website)
This web page provides information about the ways the founding fathers of the United States wrote the Constitution to ensure that judges are independent . The document also explains why the founding fathers were concerned enough about the matter to write these protections into the Constiution.
By: American Bar Association
United States Constitution
(Separate Website)
View the U.S. Constitution from the Legal Information Institute. Full copies of the document may also be purchased and downloaded in HTML and in word processing formats.
By: Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Voting Rights Act
(Separate Website)
Lawline FAQ: The Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965 by the U.S. Congress to assure that the right of citizens to vote is not denied or abridged due to race or color. There are two major provisions of the Voting Rights Act. One is referred to as Section 2. This section prohibits racial discrimination in voting nationwide. A voter may bring an action in federal court under this provision if they feel their right to vote has been denied or in any way affected due to race.
By: South Carolina Bar Association
What is Judicial Independence?
(Separate Website)
1. Judicial independence means that judges can decide cases before them without fear or favor, based on the law and the facts of that particular case. It's a way to provide for fair and impartial courts. Judicial independence does not mean that judges are free to decide cases according to their own whims or prejudices.
2. It means judges have the authority to exercise their constitutional obligation to make hard decisions, unpopular decisions, without concern for retribution, personal or professional.
This web site contains more information about why it is important it is to have an independent judiciary.
By: American Bar Association
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