What’s More American Than Civil Liberties?

The promise of liberty has never been accessible to all Marylanders. Black Americans, Indigenous communities, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and countless others have organized, challenged injustice, and demanded the freedoms and protections guaranteed under our laws. Their courage and persistence have helped to try and move our nation closer to its founding ideals.

By Dana Vickers Shelley

American flags in an oval behind a chain link fence

Fear and trauma: How a Boy Scout’s childhood changed with a police encounter

When police point guns at children, they don’t just risk physical harm – they inflict lifelong trauma. That’s why what happened to a 15-year-old Frederick County child.

By Gina Elleby, Deborah Jeon

dual headshot of Gina and Debbie

Community Members Demand Answers after Baltimore Council secretly signed a deal with ICE

The following remarks are from ACLU Maryland’s Senior Staff Attorney David Rocah, after Baltimore County confirmed it had quietly signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – with no public notice or Council engagement.

By David Rocah

David giving a speech in front of community members at Towson Courthouse

Baltimore County redistricting plan doesn’t reflect diversity

The Baltimore County Council has brazenly moved to deepen inequity and reinforce white political dominance in a county where nearly half the population is Black or of color.

By Amy Cruice, Nehemiah Bester, Zoe Ginsberg

The Baltimore County Council listens to testimony during public hearings Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Legal assault on Maryland’s federal judges threatens the rule of law nationwide

Unprecedented. Authoritarian. An open assault to the rule of law.

By Deborah Jeon

The U.S. District Courthouse in Baltimore. (File photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters)

The Time is Now to Make Maryland a National Leader on State Voting Rights

The Baltimore Beat published this OpEd on March 13, 2025.

By Nehemiah Bester

Vote here shutterstock image

The Land of Smiles, the Land of the Free

Owning Your Own Destiny: A Lesson from Thailand’s Effort to Resist Colonization

By Frank Patinella

Frank Patinella's family in a group photo in Thailand.

Music is a Wonderland Rollercoaster

Don’t snooze on this playlist to play at all the parties during AMEMSA Heritage Month.

Music is a wonderland rollercoaster. Celebrating Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, South Asian Heritage Month.

5 Years of Making “Good Trouble”

Dana Vickers Shelley celebrates and reflects on her fifth anniversary as Executive Director of the ACLU of Maryland.

By Dana Vickers Shelley

Dana Vickers Shelley is a Black woman with warm light brown skin, blond short hair, and is smiling at the camera. She is standing in front of a brick wall.