News & Commentary

The new session of the Wisconsin Legislature has barely begun and legislators are pushing a bill that will require all voters to present a government-issued photo ID every time they go to the polls. The bill (Senate Bill 6 - PDF) will be heard by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections Jan. 26. The ACLU has opposed these deeply flawed laws in other states. But the law as proposed in Wisconsin is the worst and most restrictive we've ever seen. To deny potentially thousands of voters the right to freely cast a ballot to fix a non-existent problem is unconscionable in a free society. While proponents of this bill say it will fix vote fraud, the state Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections will hear from voters and advocates who will testify on why the plan will have a discriminatory impact on minorities and will be a costly and ineffective attempt to prevent fraud.

The ACLU of Wisconsin joined over 100 community members and organizations at a hearing held by the state Department of Natural Resources regarding the We Energies Valley Coal Plant in Milwaukee. The coal plant needs a renewal of an air quality control permit but the ACLU of Wisconsin opposed the renewal and said that it would be a violation of civil rights and environmental laws. While upgrades in suburban energy facilities have greatly reduced air pollution, the Valley Coal Plant in the high-density, urban Milwaukee area continues to pollute the air and impact the public health of mostly African-American and Latino neighborhoods. People attended the hearing to say that everyone has an equal right to breathe clean air, not just those who live in predominantly white neighborhoods.

On Monday, the ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation's legal department joined the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin and the Midwest Environmental Advocates to request that the Wisconsin Public Service Commission address the disproportionate adverse impacts of electric generating facilities on minority and low-income communities in Milwaukee. The organizations seek to ensure that the PSC address these environmental justice issues in deciding whether to retire, "mothball," or upgrade existing electric generating units.

According to media reports in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and his own press release (PDF), Milwaukee Alderman Robert Donovan has procured a recycled armored truck equipped with surveillance cameras for his crime fighting group “Operation Impact.” The Milwaukee Police Department will accept the vehicle, although they did not ask for it, according to a MPD spokesperson. The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin is concerned that the Alderman appears to be offering his constituents publicity rather than the professional policing they deserve.

On Tuesday July 20th, the Wisconsin Supreme Court sidestepped the question of whether there are any constitutional limits on police use of global positioning system devices to track people in their cars. Instead, the Court decided that a court order obtained by the police in the case of State v. Sveum satisfied the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Wisconsin Constitution.

Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin asked Wisconsin State Senate majority leader, Russell Decker (D-Schofield), to schedule a vote on legislation to address discriminatory race-based school team nicknames, logos and mascots. Last Thursday, the Wisconsin Assembly passed an amended version of such legislation with bipartisan support.

Abuse by police continues to be a major civil liberties problem in the U.S., particularly for the poor and for people of color.  Everyone needs and deserves effective and humane law enforcement in schools, communities and courtrooms. The ACLU works to address systemic problems in police practices and to educate Americans about their rights when interacting with law enforcement.