Civil Liberties

Background

Civil liberties are personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge, either by law or by judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may include the freedom from torture, freedom from forced disappearance, freedom of conscience, freedom of press, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, the right to security and liberty, freedom of speech, the right to privacy, the right to equal treatment under the law and due process, the right to a fair trial, and the right to life. Other civil liberties include the right to own property, the right to defend oneself, and the right to bodily integrity. Many contemporary states have a constitution, a bill of rights, or similar constitutional documents that enumerate and seek to guarantee civil liberties. Other states have enacted similar laws through a variety of legal means, including signing and ratifying or otherwise giving effect to key conventions such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Does Doug Chin believe in civil rights for everyone?
  • Opinion

Actions taken by the Department of the Attorney General, which Chin headed from 2015 until the beginning of 2018, lead one voter to question whether the candidate for Congressional District 1 is truly the civil rights champion he claims to be. Read More »

Justin Salisbury
NOAA drops illegal “take” charges against Hawaiian cultural practitioners
  • News Report

The Federal agency may have thought it was doing its duty in enforcing tenets of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but the agency's lack of knowledge and understanding of Hawaiian culture and the protected rights of practitioners resulted in a violation of civil liberties that could have been prevented with better communication. Read More »

Will Caron
Voter suppression in Alabama confirms true threat to free and fair elections
  • Discussion

Under the guise of enforcing voter fraud protections—and with a gutted Voting Rights Act doing little to stop them—conservatives in power appear to be doing everything they can to suppress minority votes. Read More »

Campus speech in the age of Trump
  • Discussion

The importance of free speech and activism on university campuses Read More »

Will Caron
Inauguration Day: A day of resistance; a day for reflection
  • Opinion
Stu Dawrs
Inaugurating Resistance
  • Announcement

Hawaiʻi J20 Organizes a Day of Resistance for Inauguration Day Read More »

Pride at Work strives for equality at Hawai’i workplaces
  • Announcement
Travis Quezon