MOTHER JONES DAILY: This Supreme Court Case Could Change Everything for Trans Rights, Trump appoints in-law to bring Middle East peace, Who’s behind one of the major accounts promoting climate denialism on X?, Small North Carolina town sues energy "goliath" in historic climate action, Watching the media reckoning unfold in a now-shuttered broadcast newsroom 4DEZ24

 

December 4, 2024 Today, I reported from the chaotic scene outside the US Supreme Court, where possibly the most important trans civil rights case in this country's history was argued: US v. Skrmetti. It’s a challenge to Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming health care for minors—and, as my colleague Madison Pauly reported, under our conservative Supreme Court, the outcome of this case might set a precedent that threatens trans adults’ health care and civil rights, too. Hundreds of trans people and allies gathered outside the court in freezing weather to wave rainbow flags and show solidarity as arguments continued throughout the day. I met a trans college student named Ari there, who told me that in their view, “legislation like this only leads to more dead kids.” This is personal for Ari: They grew up in Tennessee, under the very laws in question in today’s case. “Tennessee, being one of the most poorly educated, most under-resourced states in the country, is ignoring its own problems in order to terrorize children and families who just want to support their kids.” Across the plaza from the pro-trans-rights group was a smaller, more somberly dressed crowd. These were anti-trans activists, hoping for a ruling in favor of Tennessee’s law—and against medical access for kids like Ari’s peers. Among them was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who announced that she was reintroducing a bill criminalizing any gender-affirming care for minors. This time, she said she would have the support of President-elect Donald Trump. “Those that worship evil are abusing our children, brainwashing our children to believe the lie that comes directly from Satan,” she said. But for the trans young people I spoke with, this isn’t about Satan or brainwashing or ideology—it’s about survival. “I know that the suicide rates are higher now than they ever have been among trans youth now,” Ari said. —Sophie Hurwitz

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This Supreme Court Case Could Change Everything for Trans Rights US v. Skrmetti could slow the wave of anti-trans laws—or tell policymakers it's "open season." BY MADISON PAULY

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Trump appoints in-law to bring Middle East peace BY SOPHIE HURWITZ Who’s behind one of the major accounts promoting climate denialism on X? BY ANNA MERLAN Small North Carolina town sues energy "goliath" in historic climate action BY DHARNA NOOR

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Watching the media reckoning unfold in a now-shuttered broadcast newsroom Scripps sought to dominate national breaking news. Instead it became a paradigm of a broken industry. BY ABBY VESOULIS

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THIS MONTH IN CIVIL LIBERTIES FROM THE ACLU: Trans Rights Are Women's Rights, West Virginia Lawmakers are Pushing Public Schools to Teach Creationism, Judy Heumann's Legacy Lives On, The Revolutionary Power of Teenage Girls, My Conviction Meant 40 Years Without A Vote. Not Anymore., No One Should Face the Death Penalty for Accessing Health Care, My Son's Hair is Part of a Thousand-Year-Old Tribal Culture. His School Called it a 'Fad', How Policy Hidden in an Algorithm is Threatening Families in This Pennsylvania County

 I am proud to be a monthly contributing member of the ACLU and thank God for the work they do defending our democratic Republic!

GENDER JUSTICE FOR ALL

Trans Rights Are Women's Rights As feminists, we reject efforts to appropriate the rhetoric of "women's rights" to inflict life-threatening harm on trans people, men, or women. Attacking trans people does nothing to address the real problems women face. On the contrary, limiting freedom for trans people worsens conditions for all women by re-entrenching the very gender stereotypes that have underpinned centuries of women's oppression and that the ACLU Women's Rights Project has worked for more than half a century to dismantle. Read more

CREATIONISM IN THE CLASSROOM

West Virginia Lawmakers are Pushing Public Schools to Teach Creationism West Virginia lawmakers should be devoting all available time and resources to protecting public school students' educational futures. Instead, they're working to pass a bill hat would exacerbate the crises faced by the state's public education system. If enacted, it would allow public schools to teach intelligent design – a form of creationism – as a "theory of how the universe and/or humanity came to exist." This is unconstitutional – and they know it. Read more

DISABILITY RIGHTS PIONEER

Judy Heumann's Legacy Lives On Judy Heumann, a civil rights titan who spent her life advocating and fighting for integration, accessibility, and dignity for people with disabilities, died on March 4. Her spirit and advocacy will live on in the generation of disabled activists she inspired and empowered to take up the mantle. Here, we remember her tremendous lifetime, and how she ushered forward sweeping changes for disabled people around the world. Read more

AT LIBERTY PODCAST

The Revolutionary Power of Teenage Girls Throughout history, teenage girls have stood on the frontlines for change. But so often, the achievements and contributions of teenage girls and young women aren't documented or are dismissed. A new book, “Young and Restless: the Girls who Sparked America's Revolutions,” by Mattie Kahn, interrupts this cycle of erasure. Kahn joined our podcast to talk about how teenage girls rise up consistently to meet the moment. Listen now  |  More episodes

RESTORING THE VOTE

My Conviction Meant 40 Years Without A Vote. Not Anymore. When Jennifer Schroeder was convicted of a felony, she got 40 years of probation – which meant 40 years without the right to vote. She became the lead plaintiff in an ACLU of Minnesota lawsuit and a leading advocate for legislation that passed this month, restoring the right to vote for people with felony convictions like her. Here, she shares her story. Read more

PROSECUTING PREGNANCY OUTCOMES

No One Should Face the Death Penalty for Accessing Health Care It was one of the first things anti-abortion politicians bellowed in the immediate backlash to Roe v. Wade being overturned: Women won't face prosecution for seeking an abortion. They said it because they know that punishing people for making the best decisions for themselves is deeply unpopular. And yet, less than a year later, they are introducing bills that would do exactly that – bills that would allow prosecutors to send women to jail for ending their pregnancies Read more

HAIR AS HERITAGE

My Son's Hair is Part of a Thousand-Year-Old Tribal Culture. His School Called it a 'Fad' Ashley Lomboy's son, a member of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe of North Carolina, wears his hair long just as male members of his tribe have for thousands of years.. Now, his school says his hair violates their “grooming standards” and is asking him to cut it. With Ashley, the ACLU sent a letter to the school's board of trustees to again explain the importance of her son's hair to his religion and culture, and to ask that he be allowed to continue his schooling as the proud Waccamaw Siouan boy that he is, braid and all. Read more

DISCRIMINATORY DATA

How Policy Hidden in an Algorithm is Threatening Families in This Pennsylvania County Two years ago, the ACLU requested data and documents from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania related to an algorithmic screening tool used by the county's child welfare agency so we, together with researchers from the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, could evaluate its design and practical impact. Our analysis revealed startling inequities, finding the tool flagged Black families and households where people with disabilities live could be labeled as higher risk. Read more