News & Commentary

The ACLU of Vermont has filed suit on behalf of a motorist who was stopped and had his car seized, leaving him stranded on the side of the road eight miles from his home in Rutland, because a state trooper said he smelled marijuana but otherwise had no evidence of a crime. At issue is not just an illegal traffic stop but whether police can continue to use a "sniff test" as evidence of a drug crime when possessing small quantities of the drug (marijuana) is no longer a crime.

Constitution Day is this week. It was on Sept. 17 in 1787 that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia wrapped up their work and put their signatures to the document they had been working on for four months. In 2004 Congress officially designated Sept. 17 as Constitution Day, a day to celebrate the federal form of government established in that document and the individual rights attached to it in the Bill of Rights, added in 1791 as the first 10 amendments. But there's a second constitution we should celebrate, too, and that's the Vermont Constitution. The cause for celebration is not just because it's our own state's constitution but because in some cases, the Vermont Constitution provides better protection of personal rights than the U.S. Constitution.

This afternoon, Sen. Patrick Leahy introduced a bill aimed at regaining control over the NSA's dragnet of America. It's a good start to fixing the immense problem.

On June 30th, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby that closely held corporations with religious objections to the Affordable Care Act may refuse to provide certain reproductive health care to employees. We've been asked: could a business opt out of a Vermont law in the same way?

Last week, the Vermont Supreme Court confirmed that police may not warrantlessly take DNA from everyone arraigned for a felony. That's great news for the Vermont Constitution.

Vermont's first-in-the-nation statewide Taser training and use bill was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Peter Shumlin. The law, had it been in effect in 2012, would have prevented the police Taser death of her son, Macadam Mason, said Mason's mother, Rhonda Taylor at the Statehouse signing. She praised legislators, Gov. Shumlin and his administration, law enforcement, and civil rights and mental health advocates for getting the at-times contentious bill over the finish line.

Long waits at the border? Get finger-printed or iris-scanned and receive an easy-pass NEXUS card! Don't want your driver's license super-charged to a national identity REAL ID card? OK, but the Vermont DMV will take your Vermont driver's license and hand you back a Vermont Privilege Card! They say it's the same thing, but try using it to rent a car.

Significant strides were made this year in the legislature around a number of civil liberties issues. Check out our quick rundown of the high points (as well as some disappointments). Details for each bill can be found on our full legislative report.

The House voted Thursday morning to accept the Senate's changes to H. 225, the Taser regulation bill. The bill will now go to Gov. Peter Shumlin for his approval. The House acceptance came on a unanimous voice vote, identical to the Senate's approval on Monday. The concurrence avoids a conference committee, which coming this late in the session could have meant defeat due to lack of time.