News & Commentary

With this toolkit, the ACLU seeks to provide greater clarity in the context of a shifting federal policy landscape ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year.

The U.S. government’s escalating attacks on noncitizens’ right to free speech should scare us all.

The ACLU published an open letter to colleges and universities nationwide urging them to reject any federal pressure to surveil or punish international students and faculty based on constitutionally protected speech.

We urged VT colleges and universities to respond to student protests in ways that further free speech and academic inquiry.

Isabel Vinson was criminally cited by Brattleboro police in 2020 for speaking her mind on Facebook. Here's an update on our case.

In August, the ACLU of Vermont sent letters to six Vermont cities and towns, urging them to repeal anti-panhandling ordinances that infringe on the free speech rights of Vermonters in need. The letters were part of a nationwide effort among 18 organizations in 12 states that targeted more than 240 similar outdated ordinances. We joined this effort because it should never be illegal to ask for help.In response, officials in Bennington, Brattleboro, Montpelier, Rutland Town, and Winooski took decisive action to protect the constitutional rights of their residents by repealing their anti-panhandling ordinances. Barre City placed theirs on indefinite moratorium. We will continue to work with local officials to bring their laws in line with the Constitution and common sense, encouraging state and local governments to bolster their efforts to address the root causes of homelessness—including lack of food, housing, and health care.

Joaquin McEnteer completed a summer internship with the ACLU of Vermont. This essay is his culmunating project. He is a high school Senior at Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador.

This letter was originally published in the Burlington Free Press on March 16th, 2018.

A student movement has arisen in response to the tragic school shooting in Parkland last month and other recent mass shootings that have resulted in numerous casualties among young people. Here, young Vermonters are raising their voices.