News & Commentary

Given state’s attorneys’ immense power and outsized impact on the lives of Vermonters, voters must know what these elected officials are doing in your name. Unfortunately, much of what state’s attorneys do is hidden from the public. We're trying to change that.

Meaningful change in the American legal system begins with a recognition that the entire system is built on systemic racism and classism, and policies that perpetuate the same. That includes cash bail.

Last year, Vermont lost over 200 of our friends, neighbors, and family members to drug overdoses. This is an unprecedented and tragic record for overdose deaths here. It seems as if this horrendous reality has become the "new normal." Are we, as a state, in denial? Are we to settle for this?

(With apologies to The Beatles and with gratitude to my students at Vermont Law School for inspiring and informing these reflections) 

As the Vermont legislature begins their 2022 session, the ACLU of Vermont is excited to work with legislators to advance and defend the civil liberties of everyone that calls our state home.

This year showed us that we are still at a critical juncture in this country, as we continue to face unprecedented attacks on our rights and our values. With your support, the ACLU is still holding the line and working towards a better tomorrow.

We've made progress towards reducing our overreliance on incarceration -- but we cannot afford to go backwards now.

We all want to live in safe and healthy communities, and our criminal justice policies should be focused on the most effective approaches to achieving that goal. But the current system has failed us.

Although the 2022 legislative session is still several months away, there are ways that you can advance racial justice, privacy rights, criminal legal reform, and other civil rights and civil liberties issues right now.