June 26, 2013

Colorado’s ban on marriage equality puts state at a moral and competitive disadvantage after ruling

Statement of ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley on the Supreme Court’s ruling on the ACLU lawsuit, Windsor v. United States, invalidating the discriminatory policies of the Defense of Marriage Act.

“Today is a great day for equality and the beginning of the end for official discrimination against lesbians and gay men. The Defense of Marriage Act is the last federal law on the books that mandates discrimination against gay people just because they're gay, and today the Supreme Court took down its core.

“In Colorado, we recently made important progress by allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions. But civil unions are not the same as marriage, and won't qualify couples for all the federal benefits that marriage would. Today’s decision only holds some promise for those same-sex couples living in Colorado who married elsewhere: the federal government will recognize their marriage in certain instances. But this decision does not allow same-sex couples to marry in Colorado and it does not change the fact that many married same-sex couples living in Colorado are not considered married by our state.

“All loving and committed couples in Colorado should have the right to marry. The impediment is Colorado’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which is a relic of the same discriminatory sentiment that produced DOMA. It is unjust and, after today, it puts our state at both a moral and competitive disadvantage against states that recognize full marriage equality. The ACLU of Colorado is committed to ending our state’s ban on marriage equality, so that all Coloradans can marry.”

June 25, 2013

Statement of ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley on the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a key portion of the Voting Rights Act

"Today’s Supreme Court ruling makes voting less free and fair, and it is a step backward, not forward, for civil rights and minority access to the democratic process.

"The court's decision is a significant departure from the Supreme Court's previous four decisions over four decades recognizing that Congress is in the best position to evaluate and set specific voting rights protections.

"When Congress last extended the Voting Rights Act in 2006, it did so with broad and overwhelming bipartisan support. Members from both sides of the aisle understood that strong federal legislation remains necessary so that all Americans can exercise the right to vote free from racial discrimination.

"The ACLU of Colorado will continue to work with our state and national lawmakers to protect and expand the right to vote." 

June 17, 2013

DENVER – The ACLU of Colorado will present its 2013 Civil Rights Awards to State Representative Claire Levy, Kevin Paul of Heizer Paul Grueskin LLP, and Kevin Williams of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC) for their exemplary contributions to protecting civil rights and furthering civil liberties in Colorado.

The honorees will receive their awards at the ACLU of Colorado’s Carle Whitehead Bill of Rights Dinner at the Curtis Hotel on Friday, October 11th.

Representative Levy, who has dedicated her career as an attorney and a legislator to advancing civil rights, will receive the Carle Whitehead Memorial Award. Levy has spearheaded efforts in the legislature to decrease prison populations and address a variety of juvenile justice issues, including removing juveniles from adult jails. She has worked to reform the sentencing process and reduce the use of solitary confinement, and she helped secure legislation in the last session to modernize elections and increase voter participation. Levy has argued passionately for preserving the civil rights of all Coloradoans and has been a tireless advocate for ending the death penalty.

The Edward Sherman Award, which recognizes outstanding legal work, will be awarded to Kevin Paul, whose career of legal advocacy for reproductive rights has positively impacted hundreds of thousands of men, women, and teens throughout the state. Paul, now a partner at Denver-based Heizer Paul Grueskin LLP, has long served as legal counsel for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. Among his many legal and legislative achievements, Paul was instrumental in creating the “bubble law,” which is now used as a model throughout the state and country for balancing protesters’ rights with the right to privacy outside of healthcare facilities.

Kevin Williams, who directs the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC) Legal Program, will receive the Ralph L. Carr Award, which recognizes an individual’s devotion to an important contemporary civil rights issue. Under Williams’ direction, the CCDC Legal Program and its cooperating attorneys have successfully litigated hundreds of disability rights cases, including a national class action settlement requiring all K-Mart stores to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Ticket and sponsorship information for the 2013 Carle Whitehead Bill of Rights Dinner can be found at https://aclu-co.org/event/carle-whitehead-bill-of-rights-dinner. Leadership for the event includes Jeff Knetsch, Event Chair, and Mari Newman, Nominations Chair.

For more information about the Carle Whitehead Bill of Rights Dinner and to purchase tickets, click here.