This Week in Civil Liberties: the Rights of Poor People, Solitary Confinement, Same-sex Marriage

ACLU of Maine and Pine Tree Legal Sue the City of Westbrook
The ACLU of Maine and Pine Tree Legal Assistance have filed a suit against the city of Westbrook for using a no-trespass order to evict Anne Blake and Kevin McBride from their apartment.  A typical eviction process involves a notice, summons, and an opportunity to contest the eviction in court. However, the police showed up with a no trespass order and told the couple they had 30 minutes to pack their belongings and leave. Unlike a real eviction process, the criminal trespass order means that Blake will not be able to visit with or provide childcare for her grandchildren who live in the same apartment building. As Shenna Bellows notes in this story, if Blake or McBride violate the no trespass order they would face the collateral consequences of a new criminal record including, “potentially limited access to public housing [and] difficulty finding employment.” Read more here.
 
Challenges to Same-Sex Marriage Bans
Same-sex couples across the country are challenging state bans on same-sex marriage.  pressing for the freedom to marry in states that . One county in Philadelphia is issuing marriage licenses despite a state ban. Read more here. In Ohio, a gay couple sued to have their out-of-state marriage recognized by the state and won. One half of the couple has Lou Gherig’s disease and wants to be buried in a family plot that only allows descendants and spouses. Read more here. Similarly, a couple are suing to have marriages performed outside of Kentucky recognized by the state. As noted in the story, the ACLU also expects challenges in Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada and Virginia.
 
Solitary Confinementand Hunger Strikes in California’s Prisons
Prisoners in California are refusing meals in a demand for solitary confinement reform. On Wednesday, prison rights advocates, including celebrities joined in solidarity with the thousands of California prisoners on hunger strike to protest conditions in California in Solitary Confinement. Chris Hedges writes here about the need for prison reform and why he showed solidarity with the hunger strikers this past Wednesday.
 
Metadata
If you didn’t see our intern Sophie’s blog yesterday, check it out and then visit the website Immersion and log in with your Gmail account to see what metadata about YOU looks like.