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16 Nov, 9 tweets, 2 min read
BREAKING: We just filed a motion asking the court to put an end to the torturous conditions that Lisa Montgomery — the only woman on federal death row — is being held in, and to prevent the added trauma of transferring her to the all-male Terre Haute prison.
Lisa is a survivor of horrific, long-term sexual assault and abuse. The rest of this thread includes specific details of that abuse.
When Lisa's execution date was scheduled, she was immediately deprived of all possessions and placed in a bright cell where male guards watch her 24/7, even when she uses the bathroom.
These conditions would be unbearable for anyone, but Lisa's history of immense sexual terror, trauma, and mental illness that developed as a result makes the conditions horrific.
When Lisa was 11, her stepfather raped her for the first time. This abuse went on for years — he eventually built a special room to isolate and rape her.

When her mother found out, she placed a gun to Lisa's head and threatened her.
When Lisa was in her early teens, she was sexually trafficked by her mother, leading her to be raped and abused by multiple perpetrators repeatedly for years.
When Lisa was 17, she was coerced into marrying the adult son of her mother's boyfriend, who continued to sexually torture her.
For someone who has suffered the kind of sexual terror and trauma that Lisa has, the treatment she is facing while incarcerated isn't just cruel and unusual — it is torture.
The conditions that Lisa Montgomery is being held under are far harsher than those for any man on death row, or anyone on suicide watch.

The depravity and cruelty of this treatment are seemingly the point.

It must stop.

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More from @ACLU

4 Nov
In 3 key sheriff races — Charleston, South Carolina, and Cobb and Gwinnett Counties in Georgia — voters supported holding the police accountable, promoting racial justice, and ending local collaboration with ICE. ⤵️
Charleston ousted a 32-year incumbent sheriff in favor of reforming the criminal legal system and eliminating programs that detain and deport immigrants. 
In Cobb County, Georgia, voters said NO to splitting apart families and NO to inhumane jail conditions. wsbradio.com/news/politics/…
Read 4 tweets
2 Nov
REMINDER: Every single line on your ballot matters. We are following key races across the country in states like California, Oklahoma, and Florida. nytimes.com/2020/11/02/us/…
In California, voters can vote YES on Prop 16 to overturn a ban on affirmative action and bring racial equity to the state.

Prop 16 will allow all Californians — especially Black, Brown, and Asian communities — to have an equal shot at fair wages, good jobs, and quality schools.
In Oklahoma, voters can vote YES on SQ 805 to limit extreme sentencing.

Current state sentencing laws have forced a person to serve 33 years in prison for writing $400 worth of bad checks, and a mother was sentenced to 15 years for stealing basic necessities from a Walmart.
Read 4 tweets
28 Oct
We've scored 26 victories in 20 states and Puerto Rico to safeguard the right to vote this year.

Together, these are home to more than 154 million Americans and wield 247 votes in the Electoral College.

Here's how we've prepared for the 2020 election.
We at the ACLU and our state affiliates and chapters have been working around the clock for months — and years — preparing for this election, to protect and expand your access to the ballot this election season.
We're living through a pandemic, economic crisis, fight for racial justice, and an election season.

The only thing we can be sure of this week is that this Election Day will most likely look, feel, and be different than previous years.

And that we at the ACLU are ready.
Read 9 tweets
27 Oct
Tonight we filed an amicus brief with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, urging the Supreme Court to review and reverse an appeals court decision ruling that the Constitution permits police officers to suffocate and kill a shackled and handcuffed arrestee.
This is what happened to George Floyd — except the victim here — Nicholas Gilbert, was locked in a jail cell, shackled and handcuffed when officers applied asphyxiating pressure to his back until he died.
We urge the Court to adopt a clear rule that police and guards cannot use asphyxiation against fully restrained individuals who pose no threat to the officers or others.
Read 7 tweets
10 Oct
This is Urooj. She is an ICU nurse in Southern California on the front lines fighting COVID-19.

She and her husband Amir have two small children, but she is currently raising them alone. Amir is in ICE detention about to be deported. Portrait of a woman standing in a paved street. She is weari
Urooj and Amir are both originally from Pakistan. She is a US citizen, as are their two children.

But @ICEgov is about to tear their family apart, even as she puts her life on the line every day to treat people who are sick with COVID-19.
Amir came to the US on a student visa to get his PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of Texas.

He applied for a spousal visa with his first wife, who he met at university.
Read 11 tweets
1 Oct
A judge is forcing Kentucky’s Attorney General to release tapes of the grand jury proceedings in the case against Breonna Taylor’s killers — the case that resulted in zero charges related to her death. abcn.ws/2Gd5qqt
This is the right decision, and here’s why the AG should stop delaying and release the tapes. ⬇️
Grand juries are supposed to protect defendants by remaining secret until a charge is levied. They are also meant to function as a citizen check on the prosecutor.

But while grand jury secrecy can protect the rights of those charged, it can also obscure injustice.
Read 6 tweets

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